Frozen 2 Fire and Ice
by kschwake1
Summary: I'm a day dreamer, trying to put one down in writing. This one is based on Disney's Frozen. The main premise of the story follows a guy through Arendelle and his emotional struggle in dealing with Elsa. The twist here is the fact that the guy has magic as well, but his power is over fire. The reason he came to Arendelle in the first place also provides some complications.
1. Chapter 1

Frozen 2

_Fire and Ice_

In the kingdom of Arendelle, the fiord waters have thawed and flowers are starting to bloom. There is still snow in places on the hills, and the higher peaks are still covered. Spring is nearing and the first trading ships of the year are docked and unloading their cargos. The air is warming and winter jackets are being replaced by cool season clothing.

At the palace a celebration is being prepared for the spring season, and to welcome the first merchant ships' arrivals. A feast of fresh food, from more southern ports, is being brought into the palace. Of particular interest are the fresh raspberries and strawberries. People in the village are excited. They can't wait for the party to begin, and to see what Queen Elsa will do to make it more exciting. The people of Arendelle have come to love their queen after their initial fear and shaky start.

Elsa is talking with the staff as supplies are brought in. She is making sure plans are in place for the celebration. Meanwhile, Anna is jumping around checking out everything that is coming in. Anna cannot help herself to some of the berries, and she enjoys their flavors as she eats them. Anna brings a hand full over to her sister Elsa and offers her some.

Anna exclaims, "Elsa, aren't these some of the most delicious berries you have every tasted!", while she is eating one of the berries.

Elsa picks up one of the berries and tastes it and says with a smile, "Yes, they are very good; but we have eaten berries this good before. Anna, you always do like to over dramatize things."

Anna replies, "Well the first berries of the year are always the best and they should be enjoyed."

In amusement Elsa says, "They will be, so please leave some for the celebration before you eat them all up."

Anna heads to the kitchen with the supplies. She wants to make sure everything finds a place and that she knows where everything is. The kitchen is a busy place. Many people are working there cooking cakes and breads, and preparing vegetable and appetizer trays from the supplies brought in. Milk and eggs soon arrive and are placed in a walk in ice box. Anna notices that the ice used to keep the box cool is getting low.

"The ice is getting low in the ice box!" She exclaims loudly to a nearby kitchen staff member.

"We are aware of this princess, and an order has been sent to replenish it. Plus, we need additional ice in order to make the ice cream for the celebration." replies a kitchen member.

With excitement Anna says, "That means Kristoff will be showing up today then."

"Yes dear," replies the kitchen staff member, "The official ice deliverer will be showing up with a cart load to replenish our stocks".

Out in the palace courtyard, stone fire pits are being prepared and the excess dirt is being sweep from the stone walls and floor. Elsa steps out of the main doors of the palace and takes a deep breath. The air has developed a fresh scent as some of the early spring flowers are pushing up, even through some of the snow that remains.

"Ahhh, Arendelle in spring time" sighs Elsa, "Signs of a new beginning and hope for the coming year."

Just then a cart rolls into the courtyard being pulled by Sven with Kristoff at the reins.

Elsa calls out to them "Good morning Kristoff, and to you as well Sven."

Sven snorts out a hello and nods his head.

"Morning Queen Elsa," Kristoff replies as he climbs down off the cart. "It certainly looks like it will be good weather today. Especially, for all the work that is going on around here," as he eyes all the busy servants.

Elsa approaches the cart as Kristoff heads to the back to pulls off a hand cart. "It certainly feels like excellent weather, and I hope it doesn't change for this evening's spring celebration", she replies. "So is this all the ice for the palace?"

"Nearly all of it", Kristoff response as he pulls the hand cart around from the back in order to talk face to face with Elsa. "I, umm, have some help; sort of. He's bringing the last few blocks in."

Just then a voice calls out from the main gate. "Heads up!" It is Olaf riding a block of ice into the courtyard. Kristoff turns around and grabs the hand cart handles. Olaf jumps off the ice block and slides up next to Kristoff, just as the block of ice slides onto the hand cart with a thud.

"You're not looking to have a long life are you, Olaf", Kristoff exclaims with a hint of disapproval.

"Life is supposed to be cherished", retorts Olaf, "and who better to cherish it than a snowman."

"So, where are the other 3 blocks you said that you would bring?" Kristoff replies.

Olaf responds, "Oh, they are on their way in."

Just then 3 ice blocks enter the main gate with a kid, squealing with delight, riding each block. Elsa quickly creates an ice ramp which launches the blocks into the air. Olaf grabs a hold of the hand cart as Kristoff catches the first child in one arm. Meanwhile, Olaf catches the ice block on the hand cart. Kristoff catches the second child in his other arm, and Olaf the ice block again on the hand cart. The third child hits Kristoff squarely in the chest knocking him backwards. Elsa creates a pile of snow and Kristoff and the kids fall into the pile. The kids begin to laugh and throw snow at each other, over the top of Kristoff. As Kristoff gets up he gets a face full of snow from an errant snowball. Elsa begins to laugh at Kristoff's misfortune.

"There you go Kristoff", happily touts Olaf. "All delivered and even neatly stacked on the hand cart for you. So is there anything else you need my help for? I will gladly lend you a hand."

"Naww Olaf, I think you have done quite enough for me already today", responds Kristoff as he brushes the snow off of himself.

"Then the kids and I will head to the hills and see if we can't pick some wild flowers", happily chirps Olaf. "See ya Elsa and we will try and bring some flowers back for you."

Elsa waves to Olaf and the children as they run off. "He certainly is an interesting helper isn't he", amuses Elsa.

"He's a good friend, but sometimes he can be a bit much to put up with", replies Kristoff.

Just then Anna emerges from the servant's door which is located at the side of the palace front. She is carrying a couple of carrots in her hand. She smiles as she sees Kristoff standing in the courtyard.

As Anna walks up to Kristoff and Elsa she says, "I heard you were showing up early today. So I thought that I would bring out a treat."

"That's much appreciated," replies Kristoff as he eyes the carrots.

"Here you go Sven", says Anna with a smile as she hands a carrot to the reindeer, "I know how you love your carrots."

"What, don't I get one to?" Kristoff says with a touch of humor.

"Oh, fine", amusingly replies Anna, "you can have the other one."

"Thanks", responds Kristoff as he takes the carrot, "You certainly are a pleasant thing to see."

"And you have helped to brighten my day," smiles Anna.

Anna and Kristoff stand there looking at each other. Both of them are smiling, and neither one of them is saying anything. Elsa who is beginning to feel like a 3rd wheel speaks up. "So am I the one who is supposed to haul this ice into the kitchen, or one of you two love birds going to manage that?"

Kristoff, snapping out of his lover's gaze, replies; "Right, I had better get to it." He takes a bit of his carrot and grabs a hold of the hand cart.

"Here let me help," chirps Anna as she moves quickly and grabs one of the handles of the hand cart.

"I'll gladly accept your help," replies Kristoff with a smile. "Then you can tell me about the things going on in the palace."

They both head off pulling the hand cart with the ice behind them. Anna is on one handle and Kristoff is on the other handle. Anna begins to tell Kristoff about all the preparations that the palace has been doing. Plus, she talks about the supplies that have arrived from the cargo ships, and how good the berries taste. Elsa watches them walk away, and a sad feeling begins to come over her. "Anna is lucky to have someone to fall in love with," whispers Elsa sadly. Snowflakes, caused be Elsa's power, begin to fall around Elsa as Kristoff and Anna enter the servant's door. "And because of my powers, I will never find someone to love." Elsa, holding up her hand with the palm going straight up into the air, releases a small burst of cold air and snow.

Later that day, Elsa is in her room getting herself ready for the party. She had just finished putting on her dress, and her hair is a bit of a mess. Elsa brushes her hair back with both of her hands, to temporarily keep it out of her face. Elsa does this so she can check out which shoes she would want to wear. While checking out the shoes, a knock comes from the door.

"Yes, what is it?" Elsa asks as she turns and looks at the bedroom door.

"It's me Anna. Can I come in?" replies Anna from the hallway.

"You really don't have to ask that," responds Elsa. "My door will always be open to my sister."

Anna enters the room. She is dressed up and Anna's hair is brushed, though it is not yet done up in a hairdo. Anna replies to Elsa, "Well, that wasn't always the case. For a long while, I would be stuck outside your door; wanting to have some interaction with my favorite sibling.

Elsa replies with a smile, "I was your only sibling." Then after a slight pause and with a sadder tone Elsa says, "Back then, I could not control my magic powers very well, and I was afraid of people finding out. Plus, I did not want to accidentally hurt you like I did in our childhood."

"I understand that now," reassures Anna. "We all were trying to adjust to everything that was happening back then." Then wanting to change the subject Anna asks, "What are you looking for in your wardrobe?"

Elsa, turning back to look into the wardrobe, says; "I'm looking for a pair of shoes to go with this dress."

Anna walks up next to Elsa and looks at the selection of footwear that is neatly displayed in the wardrobe. "Let's see now," she replies focusing on the shoes, "I would probably go for one of these two." Anna bends over and picks up 2 pairs of shoes. Elsa takes a pair of shoes from Anna in each of her hands. Anna then turns back to the wardrobe and picks up a third pair saying, "Then again this is a nice pair too." After showing this third pair to Elsa, Anna turns again back to the wardrobe.

Elsa, realizing what was about to happen, stops Anna by saying, "Whoa, Anna! If you keep going back we will be here the rest of the day still looking at shoes. I think these three will be enough to decide from." With that, Elsa places the two pairs of shoes she has on the floor in front of a full length mirror. Then Elsa places the third pair from Anna on the floor with them. Elsa models the shoes by standing above them and checking herself in the mirror. "This pair will do," Elsa exclaims as she bends down and picks up a pair. Anna then goes and picks up the other two pairs and places them back in the wardrobe.

Elsa sits down to put on the pair of shoes. While doing this she also says, "You just didn't come in here to help me pick out my footwear. So why are you here?"

Anna responds, "I wanted your opinion about this dress". Anna does a little sway and a twirl in her dress. "So what do you think?"

"It looks beautiful, Anna" , replies Elsa as she sets herself down in front of a vanity mirror and turns to pick up a hair brush. Anna walks over to Elsa and takes the brush from Elsa's hand and begins to brush Elsa's hair.

"I just want to look really beautiful for this afternoon's celebration," excitedly speaks Anna.

"OH," replies Elsa with a hint of humor, "Is there some special reason you want to look beautiful?"

"Of course there is," responds Anna while giving her sitter's chair a little kick. "I want to impress Kristoff. It is the first spring festival that we are together as, you know, a couple." Anna continues to brush Elsa's hair. "I want to make this a big event. My relationship with Kristoff has been going really well and I want to further it along." Then with a quiet tone Anna says, "I'm open to the possibility of even marrying Kristoff." Then surging it off, Anna says while still brushing Elsa's hair, "That decision is still way off in the future. Right now, I just want to enjoy my time with him, and this afternoon I really want to take his breath away."

Will listening to her sister speak, Elsa was becoming unhappy. The brush, that Anna was using, was developing frost on its surface. When Anna was done speaking, she notices the frost on the hairbrush. While continuing to brush Elsa's hair Anna asks, "So why are you unhappy, Elsa?"

Elsa stiffens in here chair do to her surprise from Anna's question. "What makes you think I am unhappy?" she questions.

"There is this hairbrush for one thing," Anna replies; holding up the brush so Elsa can see it in the mirror. "And there is the sad expression on your face. So what is it, that is troubling you?"

After a pause, Elsa replies; "OH, it is just listening to you talk about Kristoff."

"What? Don't you approve of Kristoff and me teaming up together?" states Anna with surprise and some anger.

"No, it is not that," quickly replies Elsa. Hoping to calm Anna, Elsa continues by explaining, "I approve of how things have been going on between you two, and the pace at which you are moving in your relationship." Then in a more dejected tone, Elsa says, "The problem is that your relationship with Kristoff makes me think about myself. Remember the day that I became queen. I had many men hoping to become my suitor. I turned them all away because I was trying to hide myself from the fear people would have of me. I was also afraid of possibly doing harm to someone else. Now, the people know about my magic powers; and I am glad that they did find out. They even have accepted me for who I am. However, people's fear of my touch has stopped the men from trying to win my affections." With a slight pause and placing her hand on the mirror showing her reflection, Elsa says; "and now I am nearly left alone again with my curse." With her hand on the mirror, Elsa generates a frost ring around her own reflection.

Anna bends down and gives her sister a hug. "You will never be alone as long as I am here, and I am not afraid of touching you" she says. Then standing up, with her hands on Elsa's shoulders Anna continues. "Besides, your life's journey is still just beginning. There are still lots of chances for you to find someone. In fact, it is possible that you might even find someone at today's celebration." Anna begins to brush Elsa's hair again. "So I am going to make sure, that I will not be the only one who is going to wow people tonight."

Elsa smiles and says, "You have always been good to me Anna."

Anna responds, "Hey, you are my sister and I will always try to be here for you. So, don't you ever forget that." Elsa laughs and the two sisters get ready for the approaching celebration together.

* * *

><p>Two ships enter the fiord, and the passengers on board are heading for Arendelle. The bigger ship is of a stately manner. It is carrying The Duke of Weselton. The Duke was humiliated in front of his king when trade was cut off with Arendelle. He has come back to Arendelle on the king's orders to try and reestablish trade with this small kingdom. However, the Duke has made arrangements that he hopes might make Arendelle more willing to recommence trade.<p>

When the Duke lands on the docks one of his men asks him, "Are we heading straight for the palace?"

The Duke replies, "I will not be welcomed at the palace. So the first thing we must do is make arrangements for sleeping quarters and a meal in town. When the spring celebration starts, then I will seek an audience with the queen. She will be less likely to have me removed from the palace with everyone watching."

Then a second man asks, "How does the king of Weselton expect you to reestablish trade with Arendelle if you are disliked by the queen here?"

"I don't think he believes I can," replies the Duke, "However, in order to maintain my position in the kingdom I must do as the king orders. However, I have made arrangements that I hope will make the ruler of Arendelle more willing to negotiate trade. Whoever, that may be."

The second ship, that has entered the fiord, is a small and older ship manned by two men. Instead of following the Duke's ship to dock at Arendelle, it has docked itself just out of sight of the village. A young man jumps out of the ship and ties the ship up. Then an older man climbs out of the boat wearing a pack.

"Kristian, get your pack and let's get moving," commands the older man. "It will take a few hours to get to this place Arendelle. I want to get there before sunset, so that I can get the layout of the village and surroundings."

"Sure thing father," replies Kristian as he climbs back onto the boat.

"I am not your father, Kristian," sternly replies the older man. "Just because I took you and your mother in, when you both were in need, does not make me your father."

Kristian who is retrieving his pack replies, "You raised me after my mother died, and you taught me most everything I know." Kristian then climbs from the boat and stands next to the older man. "So, Goran, you are the nearest thing that I have to a father; but if you want me to call you by your name, so be it."

"You still need to get rid of these emotions of yours, Kristian," replies Goran. "This connection you need to make with someone else, someday will be the end of you." As Goran heads off, he calls back to Kristian, "Let's get a move on!"

Kristian whistle back to the boat and out of the haul flies a hawk made totally out of fire. It flies to Kristian and lands on his pack. "Good boy Mattias," says Kristian to the bird Kristian then gives Mattias a twig that catches fire in the bird's mouth as the firebird eats it.

"That dam bird of yours is going to give us away," snarls Goran as he walks the path to Arendelle. "I would have snuffed out his fire a long time ago if he was not such a good hunter."

"Mattias is a pet project of mine in more ways than one," objects Kristian to Goran's comments as he follows him. "I have worked hard so he could contain his fire on the inside for long periods of time without burning things down. Plus he has been a good friend to me."

"Again you are trying to make connections," replies Goran, "Perhaps I should snuff out his fire after all." With that said Goran turns around on the path and releases a fireball from his hand. It heads for the bird on Kristian's pack. Kristian responds by shooting fire from his hand towards the ground. This fire creates a wall of flame in front of Kristian. This wall of fire then absorbs Goran's fireball in its flames. "Nicely done," grins Goran. "At least you have learned to be on your toes. You will need that once we go up against the ice witch that the Duke of Weselton told us about." Now Goran turns away from Kristian to continue walking the path again.

"That is just something I don't get," Kristian wonders aloud as he follows Goran. "Goran, normally you would have roasted the Duke when he showed up at our camp; but you ended up taking his money for doing this job. Plus, I have never seen you before care about a village that is being menaced by someone. Besides this ice witch sounds as if she has magic powers like us. So why are we doing this job?"

Goran replies, "I don't care about the villagers. I do care about the ice witch. First thing you must realize is that ice and fire are natural enemies. She would be able to put out any fire you create and you can eliminate any ice she creates. Mattias would easily be one of the first things she would snuff out. Secondly, even though we are self-sufficient; we still need to buy goods from time to time. Money comes in very handy for those circumstances. Third, having a connection with the Duke would mean we would have leverage over him. That is why I did not reveal our powers to him. All he knows is that I am a mercenary that he wanted to hire."

"The Duke is an idiot "moans Kristian. "Why would he care if an ice witch is hiding in another village anyway? It's not like she lives next door to him."

"I don't care about his motives," replies Goran. "I do care about the threat the ice witch poses to us."

"She hasn't been a threat to us yet," contradicts Kristian. "We could let her stay hidden in the village and tell the Duke we couldn't find her."

"The ice witch may not be a threat now but her powers will grow in strength," states Goran. "Eventually, the people will drive her out of the village just like they drove us out. She could easily be driven into our area. I would much rather eliminate her now than a much more powerful witch later. That is why we will hunt her down in Arendelle."

"It would have been easier to find her if you had just asked the Duke what she looked like, and where in the village she lives," states Kristian.

"I wasn't going to suffer that fool any longer than I had to," growls Goran. "Besides, how difficult can it be to find an ice witch in a small village?"

Kristian is still feeling uncertain about this mission, but he relents to the leadership of Goran. After all, Goran has more experience in this sort of thing. So Kristian follows Goran obediently, on their journey to the edge of the village of Arendelle.


	2. Chapter 2

In Arendelle the spring celebration has begun in the courtyard of the palace. The fire pits are lit to help provide warmth in the afternoon air. Musicians are playing for the guest. Everyone is waiting for Queen Elsa to make her opening remarks and to open the main hall. As people gather in the courtyard, Kristoff shows up in clean attire. He is neat but does not display any signs of real wealth.

Soon the main doors open up and out steps Anna. The crowd claps in approval of her arrival. Kristoff is taken aback by how beautiful Anna looks. Meanwhile, Anna suppresses a giggle when she sees Kristoff reaction to how she looks. Then Queen Elsa walks out the door. A moment of silence happens when people see her. Then they erupted into applause and cheers. Elsa had fantastically done herself up. Not only was she wearing a beautiful gown, but she had used her powers to create ice sparkles on it. The late afternoon sun made the dress sparkle in colors of white and blue, and the fires made the dress sparkle in orange and red. Elsa had even placed ice sparkles in her hair. Also on her head was an ice tiara. The tiara stood low on the front of Elsa's head and came to a point at the back of her head. The whole look was a pure mystical sight for those who saw it. Elsa walks up next to Anna and notices a slight disapproval on her sister's face.

"Jealous?" asks Elsa with a smile.

"Just a bit," replies Anna. "You have taken away nearly all of my awe inspiring crowd appearance."

"Well, I still think you got the desired effect you wanted from Kristoff," Elsa says smiling as she gives a slight nod in Kristoff's direction.

Anna looks back at Kristoff and smiles. "Yes, I definitely got the response I wanted to see from him," she says with a smile. "This is still going to be the best spring celebration ever."

Elsa steps forward and greets the crowd. "Thank you all for showing up for the first spring festival that is being held in the palace. The last time it was held here I was just a little girl. It is thanks to your acceptance of who I am that has made this possible for it to occur once again here at the palace." Applause rises from the crowd to show their approval of the queen. Elsa strolls to the middle of the courtyard. "Now let's see if I can make your visit an even better one." With that said Elsa raises her hands and creates an ice pillar near each of the fire pits. At the top of the pillar is an ice crystal ball. The balls glow from the light of the fires and the sun. "Now to honor my father and mother who kept me safe while I was growing up." Now Elsa turns and moves to a spot near the center of the courtyard. At this spot, Elsa creates a gazebo of ice. Underneath it, Elsa creates two sculptures of ice. These sculptures look like her mother and father. Also under the roof of the gazebo a light snow falls around the statues. Once Elsa has completed her constructions, she strolls back to the main door of the palace. As Elsa reaches the main doors, she turns back to the crowd. "I invite you all into the palace where there is food and deserts prepared for you to enjoy, as you spend your time here at the palace this spring festival." With that said Elsa turns back around and walks into the main doors. She is followed by Anna who has pulled Kristoff out of the crowd, and she walks him in through the doors.

"You're going to like what Elsa has done with the main hall," Anna tells Kristoff as they enter the building.

Once inside the main hall, Kristoff stops and stares at the room. Two large crossing ice arches are in the room. At their apex, they join together and from this point an ice chandelier hangs. Above these arches, snow is being blown around along the ceiling in twisting patterns always changing. The floor itself has an intricate pattern on it totally made of ice.

"Whoa," exclaims Kristoff. "Your sister really knows how to put on a display."

"She really likes letting go with her magic," smiles Anna. "It is one of those things that makes her happy." Then with a slightly sadder note she says, "I just wish she would find the kind of happiness that I have whenever I am with you." Then an idea flashes in Anna's mind and she tells Kristoff, "I know! You could ask Elsa to dance with you."

"What?" replies Kristoff. "You want me to dance with your sister tonight and not you?"

"I was just talking about one dance Kristoff," replies Anna. You will still have most of this evening with me. So will you do?"

With a sigh Kristoff replies, "Alright Anna, one dance won't hurt and it might be a little fun to."

Just don't enjoy yourself too much dancing with my sister," warns Anna with a smile. "You're supposed to be enjoying your time by spending it with me."

Elsa, in the meantime, has position herself next to the main door. Elsa is here, so she can greet guests as they come into the hall. Elsa has put on a pair of gloves so people would not be afraid of shaking her hands. While she is doing this, Kristoff and Anna have moved to the back of the room near the food tables. Elsa greets several people at the door. Some of the guest even bother to shake Elsa's hand as they say hello. Among the guests that come is Olaf, the snowman that Elsa had created.

"Olaf," smiles Elsa, "I see that you and the kids managed to find some flowers on the hills."

Olaf hands the wildflowers to Elsa and says, "There were quite a few of them out there. All of them are as beautiful as the lady who is receiving them."

"Olaf, you are the sweetest thing and quite the charmer," smiles Elsa. "These flowers deserve a good home." Elsa removes a glove and waves her hand to create a small round pedestal table and vase. She places the flowers into the vase and says, "There we go. A pretty home that is fitting for the flowers, and it is also perfect for showing the gentlemen who brought them what he means to me."

"Elsa, you are the one who is making this party special," replies Olaf. "Just look at all the wonderful things you have done in here, and all the food that you had set out for the people to enjoy." Olaf notices a large bowl at the end of the table filled with marshmallows. "Say are those marshmallows over there?" inquires Olaf.

"Yes they are," replies Elsa. "The kitchen made them for the kids to enjoy. There are canvas sacks for you to put some into if you want. Go ahead Olaf, help yourself."

"Thanks," exclaims Olaf. "I think I will take some outside for the kids to enjoy around the fires." With that said, Olaf goes to the table and loads up a sack and carries it outside.

* * *

><p>On the outside of town, Kristian and Goran have arrived at a hill just outside of Arendelle.<p>

"Good," exclaims Goran. "We have made it here in good time. It appears that Arendelle has only one access point. That should reduce the number of escape routes this witch can take, when she tries to flee the village. We both will need to inspect the houses in the village. So your bird can't come with us. He will be a dead giveaway to our abilities. His presences will make it impossible for us to complete our mission."

Kristian nods affirmatively towards Goran and walks up to a pile of rocks. With Mattias on his arm, Kristian says to the firebird, "OK Mattias, go make yourself a nest and wait for us to return." With that, Mattias flies off into the rocks and nestles down. Once comfortable, Mattias burst into fire and takes a nap. Kristian then walks up to Goran and asks, "So what are we looking for in the village then?"

Goran replies as he heads down into the village, "Signs of the witch. Most likely it will be a house or structure that will be shut off from the outside world. Somebody with that kind of power will not want others to find out about them. I'll take the north side and you can take the south side, but stay clear of the palace. You don't want to end up in a confrontation with the palace guards." With that said, the two men go their separate ways; and they both begin to check out the village buildings.

Kristian walks the streets of Arendelle checking out the buildings, but he does not see anything out of the ordinary. "It doesn't look like there is anything unusual around here," Kristian tells himself. "Everything looks normal enough except," Kristian pauses for a moment as he realizes something. "There aren't many people on the streets." Kristian walks up to an individual and asks him where the people of the village are.

The villager responds, "People are celebrating the spring season today. Most people are at the palace to partake in the festivities there."

The palace is just barely in view from where Kristian is standing. He looks over at the building and Kristian can barely hear the music playing. "Well, I doubt any ice witch will be at the party," Kristian tells himself. "I shouldn't get too near that place anyway." Kristian continues to check out the buildings; but in a short time, he finds himself nearing the palace. Eventually, Kristian ends up in the city square that is just outside the palace. Some of the party activities are going on in the square. Kristian is fascinated by these party activities, since he has spent most of his time in isolation with Goran. As Kristian moves around the square checking things out, he unintentionally ends up in front of the bridge that leads to the palace. Once Kristian realizes that he is there, he looks towards the gates of the palace. From this point, Kristian is able to look down the bridge and look through the open gates of the palace. Through the gateway, Kristian is able to see the ice statues of Elsa's mother and father.

"Wait a minute," says Kristian with surprise. "Are those statues made of ice, and is that snow falling?" Kristian walks towards the bridge and stops at its edge. Kristian hesitates for a moment, because he was supposed to stay clear of the palace. "There are so many people in there already one more person will not be notice," Kristian tells himself. So Kristian walks quickly across the bridge for he doesn't want to be caught in the palace, and if Kristian walked slowly he might change his mind and turn back. As he enters the courtyard, Kristian notices the ice pillars and the glowing ice balls on top of them. "They are ice!" exclaims Kristian with surprise. "Is it possible? Could the ice witch have made all of this for the party?" Kristian looks around at all the people. "Nobody here looks worried at all," says a bewildered Kristian. Kristian walks up to the statues and begins to check them out. Kristian also examines the snow that is falling from under the roof of the gazebo.

Olaf, who has been standing by one of the fire pits with some of the children, has notice the funny reaction of Kristian. So Olaf, carrying his sack of marshmallows, decides to walk up next to Kristian. "Elsa has done some pretty good work here hasn't she," pipes up Olaf.

"Yes," replies Kristian as he turns towards the sound of the voice. Kristian stops moving when he notices the snow falling from the sky. He then looks up at the cloud that is snowing down on Olaf.

"I'm down here," says Olaf as he waves his hand in the air to get Kristian's attention.

Kristian looks down and takes a step back. Olaf introduces himself, "Hi my name is Olaf."

"You're a snowman," says Kristian in surprise.

"Boy nothing ever gets by you does it," replies Olaf sarcastically. "So who is the newcomer that I am addressing here?"

"Umm, Kristian," stammers Kristian. "What told you that I was a stranger?"

"Around here everybody knows me," Olaf replies. "You don't act like most newcomers to Arendelle. Many scream when they see me."

Kristian replies, "You're not exactly the first thing that I have seen that has been a little different from the norm. You are the first talking snowman I've seen though. So who is this Elsa that you mentioned earlier?"

"Elsa is a very special lady," responds Olaf. "She made me and all the pretty ice and snow that you see around you. The people here really love her and they would not have it any other way."

"You mean she lives openly out in the village. People aren't afraid of her magic powers or have tried to drive her out?" questions Kristoff.

"Oh, in the beginning Elsa tried to hide her magic but they accidentally came out," replies Olaf. "Things got a little crazy for a while but her sister Anna would not give up on her. Eventually because of Anna's love for her sister things worked out in the end for Elsa."

Just then the Duke of Weselton walks into the courtyard of the palace with his bodyguards. "Wait a second!" exclaims Kristian. "That is the Duke of Weselton. What is he doing here?"

"I don't have the foggiest idea," replies Olaf. "He is partly responsible for some of the bad things that happened to Elsa when her magic was revealed. He is definitely going to be a party pooper."

Kristian turns his back to the Duke, as the Duke walks by. Kristian does not want the Duke to realize that he is there. The Duke walks into the palace followed by his body guards.

Meanwhile, in the palace main hall, the musicians are playing and a dance is going on. Anna and Kristoff are on the dance floor under the ice arches moving with the music. Elsa has retreated to the throne area. There she stands and watches the dancers. Elsa sadly sighs as she watches the couples move around the floor. Anna notices this and turns to Kristoff.

"You should go ask Elsa to dance now," Anna says. "She needs to be cheered up and a dance will help to do that."

Kristoff, a little uncertain, replies; "Are you sure? Because I will be dancing with a different lady than you." Then with a little humor, "Who knows maybe I will end up liking Elsa better than you."

Anna amusingly replies, "If you do, I'll end up giving you the biggest lump on your head that you have ever seen. Just go on, asks Elsa to dance."

Anna and Kristoff move off of the dance floor. Anna retreats to a spot near the throne area as Kristoff walks up to Elsa. Elsa notices his approach and asks Kristoff as he nears, "Is there something that I can help you with Kristoff?"

"Well," with a slight pause, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out and dance with me," says Kristoff with some uncertainty.

"Don't you want to dance with Anna instead?" questions Elsa.

"Sure, but Anna said that you needed some cheering up; and she told me that a dance would do that," replies Kristoff.

Elsa shakes her head and responds with, "You don't need to Kristoff. I am perfectly fine here by myself."

"It will make things easier on me," replies Kristoff. "Sometimes it is easier to go along with your sister than it is to try and reason with her. Besides, I've got my gloves on as well and it will be fun." Kristoff holds out his hand to Elsa. "So what do you say Elsa?"

Elsa looks over to her sister and sees her making gestures. Anna is trying to tell her sister to go out on the dance floor. Elsa with a sigh and a smile replies, "Very well Kristoff, you may have one dance with me."

Elsa takes Kristoff's gloved hand with her own gloved hand and walks out onto the dance floor. They begin to dance. While Kristoff is not the most graceful of dancers he moves well enough to not look clumsy. Elsa is enjoying herself out on the dance floor.

While dancing with Kristoff, Elsa says; "You dance very well Kristoff."

"Thanks, your majesty," replies Kristoff. "Anna has helped to teach me, but I am not as graceful as she is; or you for that matter."

Elsa smiles and replies, "There are many things that you are taught. When you grow up in a palace. My father and mother were my main teachers. Dancing was just one of the things they taught." Elsa looks over at her sister and sees her sister smiling as Anna watches them dance. Elsa smiles back and tells Kristoff, "Anna certainly can be over enthusiastic about certain things."

Kristoff looks over at Anna and says smiling, "Ya, she can be quite the go getter; but her intentions are good and she has a real loving heart."

Unknown to Elsa, the Duke of Weselton has entered the great hall. He has come here to seek an audience with Queen Elsa. Kristian has followed him in and is trying to stay out of the Duke's sight. Olaf has followed both of them and is sticking close to Kristian.

Olaf speaks up to Kristian, "Why are you so interested in the Duke?"

"Keep your voice down," replies Kristian to Olaf. "I don't want the Duke to know that I am here. My interest in the Duke is personal. I want to know why he is here. Since I already know that this is not his most favorite place to be."

After coming to a stop in the hall, the Duke of Weselton scans the room looking for Elsa. Finally he sees her dancing with Kristoff. The Duke starts to walk over to Elsa and this is when Elsa sees the Duke. Seeing the Dukein the hall makes Elsa angry. "What is he doing here," Elsa quietly states. A cold air erupts from Elsa and everyone near her feels the chill.

"Whoa," exclaims Kristoff. "Did it just get cold in here?"

"Sorry about that Kristoff," apologizes Elsa, "but some unwanted business has entered the hall that I must deal with."

Elsa leaves Kristoff and walks towards the Duke. Kristoff watches for a while and then walks over to Anna.

"Kristoff, what has happened?" Anna asks as Kristoff nears.

"I'm guessing that the Duke of Weselton wants to have a meeting with your sister," replies Kristoff.

"The Duke? Here!" exclaims Anna as she looks over to Elsa and sees the Duke nearing her sister. "What in the world will he be doing back here in Arendelle? I have to go to Elsa." Anna leaves Kristoff and heads to Elsa's side.

Elsa and the Duke have met near the edge of the crossing arches, a few feet away from one of the legs. Kristian has moved to a position behind that leg so that it partly conceals his presence. It is close enough for him to listen in on the conversation of the Duke and Elsa. Olaf has followed Kristian over to the arches leg. However, he does not try very hard to conceal himself.

"Greetings your majesty," says the Duke politely as he bows down to Queen Elsa. "I don't wish to intrude on your affairs here, but I must speak with you privately."

"Your presence here is not welcomed," sternly states Elsa. "This was meant to be a fun affair for the people of Arendelle and your presence here will sorrow the mood of this whole event."

Just then Anna comes walking up. As Anna approaches she angrily says, "You should not have dared show your face here Duke! Especially after the way you have treated my sister last summer! In fact, she should have you thrown out by the palace guards!"

The Duke replies calmly, "Then the queen will have to explain that not everyone is welcomed here at the spring celebration. Her policy of having an open door to all visitors will be in doubt. Is your majesty willing to put her reputation in jeopardy this early in her reign?"

Anna was about to respond to the Duke when Elsa puts up her hand to silence Anna. "That will be enough Anna," states Elsa. "Very well Sir Duke, I will listen to what you have to say; but the way you have gone about it will not help me be receptive of your words. We will head to a more private camber to have our discussion." Elsa turns and walks to a side door followed closely by her sister Anna. The Duke and his two body guards follow at a distance behind.

"That girl has got some spunk there," Kristian says to Olaf as he is impressed by Anna's courage. "The queen is not too bad either."

"Yes, Anna and Elsa are a pair of fearless ladies around here," replies Olaf. "Anna is a loving free spirit and Elsa is a caring and kind lady, doing the best that she can for her people."

"Wait! Do you mean Elsa, the lady who made the ice sculptures outside, is the queen of Arendelle here?" asks Kristian in surprise.

"Yep," replies Olaf. "One of my best friends around here is Elsa and she is also the beloved ruler of Arendelle."

Kristian turns towards the door that Elsa, Anna, and the Duke have passed through. He quickly moves to the door. Kristian peaks through first before stepping through the door and enters a hallway. "This whole situation is more complicated than I thought," exclaims Kristian. Olaf has gotten lost in the crowd out in the main hall so Kristian is left alone for a while. "Where have they gone to?" wonders Kristian aloud. He scans the hall and sees a light coming from an open doorway. Kristian slowly moves towards the door, not wanting to be found here in the palace. When he hears the muffled voices of Elsa and the Duke coming from the room, Kristian quickens his pace and peers into the room. He sees Elsa standing very rigidly with what could almost be described as a scowl on her face. Anna is a few feet away from Elsa standing next to her. Anna is holding her wrist with one hand and making a fist with the other hand. There was no doubt by looking at her face that Anna hated the Duke and this whole affair. The Duke was facing Elsa a few feet away from her, trying to convince her to reestablish trade with Weselton.

"First of all, let me thank you for allowing me to see you in private your majesty," says the Duke as he gives Elsa a slight bow. "And I hope you will accept my apology for the misfortunate events that we had at your coronation."

"At the coronation, you called Elsa a monster!" angrily snaps Anna. "You also tried to have your men kill her; and for that alone she should have you thrown out of the kingdom, if not imprisoned!"

Elsa looks at her sister Anna and holds up her hand to signal her to stop talking. Elsa then turns back to the Duke. "I will hold my acceptance of your apology until I have heard everything that you have to say, Duke of Weselton," coldly replies Elsa. "So far you have not won me over by your approach."

"Whatever your feelings about me are my queen, you must agree that trade with Weselton will be highly beneficial to Arendelle," politely states the Duke. "After all, Weselton is one of the larger seaports in the surrounding area and many goods come through our docks on a daily basis."

"I agree that Weselton makes things simpler in managing trade, but I cannot abide in the attitude that you have displayed with me and my kingdom," replies Elsa. "You are not the only kingdom we can trade with. In fact, we have already replaced all our needs by going to other ports."

"There are other concerns that need to be addressed as well," points out the Duke with a less than a gracious tone. "There is a need for protection as well. If trade does not get reestablished with Weselton, I'm afraid that the King of Weselton cannot assure the safety of vessels and merchants from the kingdom of Arendelle."

Anna erupts again, "What!" Elsa turns again to her sister and puts her hand up again to signal Anna to stop. Elsa then turns back towards the Duke and coldly stares at him. This unnerves the Duke and he takes a step backwards.

"You know as well as I, that if such a posture was made towards any merchant vessel, that port of call and kingdom would suffer from cargo ships avoiding that port for fear of reprisal," states Queen Elsa. "The King of Weselton would not dare make such a move."

Out in the hallway Kristian has been listening and watching the meeting between the Duke and Queen Elsa. "Wow," whispers Kristian. "Elsa has managed to maintain control of her magic powers and the conversation. That is not easy under an emotional state of anger."

Just then Olaf has entered the hallway with a sad young girl. Olaf is still carrying a sack of marshmallows with him, and he sees Kristian standing outside an open door. Olaf says to the little girl, "I believe we can find you help this way. Kristian is keeping an eye on Elsa. He is like a royal peeping tom. So wherever he is there will surely be royalty, and who is more deserving to be royal than Elsa." "Hey Kristian," calls out Olaf. "Is Elsa in there?"

This startles Kristian and he steps from the doorway leaving one hand on the wall. "What? Quiet Olaf," Kristian says quietly. "I don't want anyone to know that I am here, and yes Elsa is in there."

Olaf motions to the girl to go into the room. "So have you heard any juicy details you would care to share? "happily asks Olaf.

"I better understand the Duke of Weselton's position. If, he is back here trying to get trade with Arendelle started again, his king must not be happy with the Duke. The Duke must be trying to save face here," reasons Kristian.

"You mean his face is falling off!" exclaims Olaf as he moves to the door so he can look at the Duke's face. "His face is a little distorted but it looks like it is still hanging in there."

"Oh boy," exclaims Kristian as his hand goes to his head. Kristian shakes his head gently in a negative fashion, and he still has one hand up against the wall. "What I mean by saving face is that the Duke wants to make the king happy with him again. Probably because the king was threatening to remove some of the power and influence the Duke had in Weselton."

While this was happening in the hallway, the Duke of Weselton was getting more agitated because he was not making the headway he wanted. "There is also the matter of your own personal security Elsa," uneasily states the Duke. Losing all formality and showing more of a threatening tone. "There are individuals out there who will do you harm. I may just even be aware of some of these men. If trade cannot be reestablished, I see no reason to divulge the knowledge that I have. You will be left alone to defend yourself, and you may be left at their mercy."

This last statement by the Duke has angered Elsa and Anna. However, Anna sees the air begin to swirl with snow around Elsa and her concern quickly turns to Elsa's emotional state. "You dare to make a threat like that in my presence," angrily replies Elsa. "The only threat that I have at the moment is you Sir Duke. It is a threat that I know that I can handle on my own!"

Ice begins to form on the floor underneath Elsa and on the wall behind her. The Duke and his body guards take several steps backwards away from Elsa. Anna steps towards her sister. "Elsa, it is not worth upsetting yourself over him," says Anna trying to calm her sister down.

However, Elsa barely heads Anna's advice and continues. "I could write a decree that says you are an enemy of Arendelle! I could strip you of all rights and privileges that come with your title! I could even have you arrested and thrown in prison for threatening my life! So before you start making threats against me Sir Duke, you better understand the full consequences of what you say from here on!"

While Elsa was angrily addressing the Duke; the ice, that her emotions were forming, spreads quickly over half the room. It climbs up the furniture and it even climbs a little bit up Anna's shoes. However, as this happens Anna breaks her feet free quickly from the ice before a thick layer of ice can form. Unfortunately the young girl who had entered the room, unbeknownst to the adults in the room, did not move her feet when the ice approaches her. Her feet get frozen to the floor. The young girl screams out of fear and this makes everyone in and outside the room aware of the problem the young girl is having.

"Elsa!" cries out Anna as she rushes to the young girl. The young girl's cry had snapped Elsa out of her fixation on the Duke. Elsa now turns and follows Anna to the young girl. "What have I done!" whispers Elsa as she moves towards the girl.

Out in the hall, the young girl's scream has alerted Kristian and Olaf to the young girl's plight. Kristian tries to turn to look into the room. Only to find out that his hand is frozen to the wall. The ice had managed to travel out the doorway and had encased Kristian's hand in ice. "Great," says Kristian; with some disgust. Then to Olaf, Kristian says, "This is what I get for letting you hang around me. I should have been paying attention to Elsa instead of talking with you."

In the room, Anna has grabbed the hands of the young girl and Anna tries to comfort her. "It will be all right. Elsa will soon have you free of the ice."

Elsa kneels down next to Anna and is taking off both of her gloves and she places the gloves into a pouch located in her dress. "I am so sorry about this. I should not have let my emotions out like that," Elsa regretfully says. Then as Elsa raises her hands she says, "Here let me take care of all this nasty ice."

Out in the hallway Olaf is about to enter the room. "Don't worry," says Olaf. "I'll go get Elsa. She can help get you free."

"No! Don't bother," quickly replies Kristian. The last thing that Kristian wants is for Elsa or the Duke to know that he is there. In almost an instant, a light emits from Kristian's ice encased hand. The ice quickly melts and soon fire is seen coming from Kristian's hand.

"Whoa, that is cool," says Olaf. "Hey, can you roast marshmallows with that!" Olaf then reaches into his sack and places one of the marshmallows onto one of his stick fingers. Olaf then sticks the marshmallow into the fire on Kristian's hand. Soon Olaf pulls the marshmallow out of the fire and pops it into his mouth. "Mm, that is a great trick to have at a party," smiles Olaf.

"You really are a weird one," states Kristian in disbelief of Olaf's actions.

"So says the man with the flaming hand," replies Olaf sarcastically.

Kristian, realizing that his hand is still blazing, shakes the fire out. When Kristian turns back towards the door he notices that the ice is disappearing. "What?" exclaims Kristian? "How is the ice disappearing?" Kristian looks into the room and sees Elsa waving her hands around and the ice everywhere is receding. "She can actually reverse her own actions," says Kristian with puzzlement. "How in the world does she do that?"

"Like I said before," replies Olaf with a smile, "Elsa is a talented lady."

Soon the ice in the room is all gone and Elsa stands up. Anna, still kneel and holding the young girls hands, says; "See, Elsa has managed to get rid of all the ice."

Elsa turns towards the Duke and says coldly, "Your meeting with me is over Duke of Weselton. I suggest you leave the palace and not return today."

The Duke hesitates for a moment but realizes that this attempt has failed. He then proceeds towards the door. As The Duke passes Elsa, Elsa speaks up, "Next time Sir Duke, I will only see you after a formal written request has been delivered to me. Then I will decide when and where we will meet again." With that, the Duke leaves the room.

Out in the hallway, when Kristian realizes that people will soon be leaving the room; he hunts for a hiding place. Kristian ends up in a room just down the hall. Olaf has followed Kristian into this room. "You like playing hide and seek don't you," chirps Olaf.

"I just don't want to be seen by anyone right now," replies Kristian. "I've got to think things over and being spotted by anyone in that room will just complicate things."

The Duke and his body guards pass the room and are about to leave the palace through the main hall. Kristian has opened the door enough so he could step out a little to watch the Duke leave. Just as the Duke was about to pass through the door he turns around to glance back at the room he came from. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kristian looking out of another room. The Duke nods to Kristian with a smile on his face. "Dam," curses Kristian. "The Duke has seen me. I'm definitely going to have to tell Goran now."

Back in the room, Anna and Elsa are attending to their young guess. Elsa has placed her gloves back on because she knows people feel more comfortable around her if she is wearing them. "Now then," says Elsa as she kneels in front of the young girl. "My name is Elsa and this is my sister Anna. So what is your name?" Elsa says politely.

The young girl sniffling and hugging Anna replies, "Nora."

Elsa then asks gently, "Well, Nora for what reason did you decide to come into this room?"

"I had showed up too late to get any ice cream," sniffles Nora. "It was all gone when I got to the table. The snowman said I could find someone here to help me find some."

"That will be an easy matter to fix," says Anna with a smile. "Don't you agree Elsa?"

"Of course it will be," says Elsa in an up lifting voice. "But first we need to go to the kitchen."

Elsa and Anna stand up. Elsa leads the way out into the hallway and towards the kitchen. Anna follows behind holding Nora's hand. Kristian watches them walk down the hall and follows from a distance with Olaf tagging along.

Finally, Elsa reaches the door to the kitchen and walks in with Anna and Nora right behind. "Here we go," says Anna as she lifts Nora up onto a counter. "This was always my favorite spot to sit and watch what was going on in the kitchen."

Kristian stops outside the door and looks inside to see what the ladies are up too. Olaf stops behind Kristian and just looks at him. "You could find a lot more out, if you just go in and ask Elsa," states Olaf.

"Are you crazy Olaf," replies Kristian. "Do you think someone like her is even going to tolerate someone like me? Just keep quiet so I can observe things."

In the meantime, Elsa has walked behind another counter and faces the young girl. Elsa takes her gloves off again and places them on the counter. "Now then, the first thing we are going to need is a bowl," says Elsa.

The cupboard to your right Elsa," replies Anna. "There should be a nice big bowl there."

Elsa turns around and opens the cupboard. "Yes, this will do nicely," exclaims Elsa. "Now to make this batch special we will need some milk, eggs, and some salt. Anna will you get the milk and eggs, while I go retrieve the salt."

Elsa retrieves a ceramic jug which has the word salt on its side. Anna disappears into the cooler and shortly comes back with a glass jar of milk and 2 eggs. Anna hands the eggs to Elsa and places the jar of milk on the counter. "Thank you Anna," Elsa says to her sister. "First thing we do is crack the eggs. Then we add some milk and finally a bit of salt"

Anna has walked over to Nora and stands next to her. "This next bit is going to be the fun part," says Anna to Nora.

"Now we mix everything together," Elsa says as she raises a hand above the bowl. Then using her powers a cold air swirls from her hand into the bowl. Soon the liquid in the bowl begins to jump up the sides of the bowl and into the air. Elsa continues to swirl the liquid. More often than not, the liquid is totally out of the bowl being mixed by the air; but it always lands back into the bowl. Nora begins to smile and giggle. Anna notices some of the berries sitting in the kitchen. "Would you like some berries in your ice cream?" Anna asks Nora. The young girl shakes her head yes. Anna goes and picks up a cutting board and cuts up some of the berries with a knife. "Heads up Elsa!" says Anna as she tosses the cut berries towards her sister. Elsa catches most of the pieces in the flying mixture but one piece hits Elsa in the face. "Opps, sorry," apologizes Anna. Elsa, with a mischievous smile, takes a finger and flicks it. A small snowball flies across the room and hits Anna in the face. Nora laughs at this and claps her hands with enjoyment.

"Now we have to add the ice to the cream," says Elsa. The liquid falls back into the bowl followed by snow and ice. The liquid swirls vertically. It comes up the sides of the bowl and goes back down near the center of the bowl. The juices of the berries end up making swirls in the ice cream. Finally the ice cream hardens and the bowl is full to the top.

Out in the hallway, Kristian has been watching the display that Elsa has been doing in the kitchen. Kristian has become mesmerized by Elsa's abilities and the smile on her face as she is using them. Olaf, standing next to Kristian in the door, watches the display as well with a smile. Near the end of Elsa's performance, Olaf looks up and sees Kristian expression. "You really need to meet with Elsa," says Olaf. "I think she is really going to like you."

This snaps Kristian out of his gaze. "You can't be serious Olaf," replies Kristian. "We are totally different people. She is royalty and I'm more of a timber rat. Not to mention that fire and ice don't mix."

"Oh come on Kristian," says Olaf in disagreement as he walks to the center of the hallway. "I'm a snowman and I like you."

"Ya, but you are no ordinary snowman," replies Kristian a bit sarcastically.

"Why, thank you," replies Olaf with a smile. "And Elsa is no ordinary lady and you are no ordinary guy. So we all have things in common. You can begin a relationship around that."

"A relationship?" replies Kristian dumbfounded. "There is no possible way a relationship will ever be developed between Elsa and me. It just can't happen."

Meanwhile in the kitchen, the ice cream is ready to eat. "There," says Elsa with pleasure. "Anna, we need bowls and spoons." Anna runs and grabs them and hands them to Elsa. Elsa scoops out some ice cream into a bowl and walks over to Nora and hands it to her. "I hope you enjoy it." Nora takes a bite and smiles and nods her head in approval. She jumps down off the counter giggling.

At this moment, Elsa hears some commotion out in the hallway. She hears the argument that Kristian and Olaf are having but cannot discern what they are saying. Elsa moves towards the door to investigate the commotion.

Out in the hallway, Olaf is trying to convince Kristian to talk with Elsa. "You're limiting yourself to a small point of view," says Olaf. "You need to think outside of that view point. You probably went through a lot of the same problems Elsa did when her magic powers were revealed. She would understand you a lot better than most people would. In fact, I think I'll go tell Elsa right now about your marshmallow cooker and then you will see that I am right about Elsa."

Olaf begins to walk to the door and this scares Kristian. "No!" quietly exclaims Kristian as he waves a hand towards Olaf. Kristian's fears have cause both of his hands to light up with flame.

Olaf jumps back from Kristian's hand. "You certainly do have a fiery flare there," says Olaf.

Kristian clenches both of his fists. This reduces the flames and then he blows the remaining fire out. "Look Olaf, I don't want anyone to find out about my powers; particularly Elsa," states Kristian. "So do me a favor and promise me you won't tell anyone. OK?"

Olaf stands still for a moment. He is considering Kristian's request. Finally Olaf speaks. "OK fine," Olaf replies. "I won't tell anyone, but I don't know how you are going to keep it a secret for any length of time. You would be better off telling Elsa yourself as soon as possible."

"Thanks Olaf," responds a grateful Kristian. "Just let me worry about keeping my secret. Besides, I shouldn't be staying here long enough to get into any trouble. And Olaf, could you keep the noise down. The last thing that I want to do is to draw attention to myself, especially in this part of the palace."

Suddenly Kristian hears a voice coming from behind him. "I'm afraid it is too late for that." It is Elsa. Elsa has come to investigate the noise she was hearing in the hallway, and she has found Kristian and Olaf talking. Elsa has only heard the very end of their conversation. Kristian stiffens up and looks at Elsa. Then Kristian looks down the hallway to where he first entered from the main hall. Elsa is between Kristian and this exit. Soon Anna and Nora come out the kitchen door. Anna is carrying the large bowl of ice cream and Elsa's gloves.

"Hi Elsa!" pipes up Olaf. "I've just been hanging out with my friend Kristian here."

"In deed," replies Elsa with a smile. "I've just finished helping your other friend Nora with her little problem. Now I see that you are showing someone else around the palace."

Olaf replies, "I knew you could help Nora, and Kristian has been showing himself around. I've just been following."

Kristian fells one of his hands light up. So he quickly clenches the fist and smothers the flame with his other hand and body. Kristian is feeling extremely uneasy. He is caught in an unfamiliar place, facing someone Kristian assumes will be his enemy if she finds out about his magic powers. Not to mention the fact that Kristian was hired by the Duke to end Elsa's life. Elsa notices Kristian's discomfort. Because of the good mode that Elsa is in, she thinks Kristian nervousness is amusing.

"Olaf, can you take Nora and the ice cream back to the party for us?" asks Elsa. "Anna and I can take charge of your friend here."

"Sure thing Elsa," replies Olaf as he goes and takes the bowl of ice cream. He starts off for the main hall. Olaf then turns around and says, "Kristian, don't forget what I've said. You can easily make a connection with Elsa."

Kristian cringes from this remark, and Elsa and Anna see Kristian's response. Anna suppresses a giggle, while Elsa covers one up with her fist and a slight cough. "So your name is Kristian is it?" lightly questions Elsa.

"Ah, ya," replies Kristian awkwardly.

Elsa and Anna have moved into the center of the hallway. They are between Kristian and the only doorway out of the palace that Kristian knows about.

"I presume that you are new around here," continues Elsa wanting to keep the conversation moving. "Are you here for the spring festival?"

"Um no. I'm here on um business," replies Kristian not wanting to reveal his true intent. The stone floor begins to heat up from Kristian's power, so he shifts himself nervously around. Anna and Elsa think his nervousness is due to him meeting Elsa. Anna giggles a little and Elsa just smiles.

"Business is it," continues Elsa. "Is your business with the palace? Is that why you are here today?"

"No it is not," replies Kristian in a raised voice. He hopes to convince the ladies that his business is being done for somewhere else. "My business is for another kingdom. It has brought me here to Arendelle. I just arrived this evening when I came across the festival in the town square."

Anna then speaks up with a silly lint in her voice. "And you decided to explore the palace then without being invited."

"Initially no that's not what brought me inside," replies Kristian. He still feels uneasy but Kristian begins to think he is going to get away from this situation without being caught. "When I was out in the square, I saw the ice statues through the main gates of the palace and I had to check them out. Their detail was amazing and then there was the snow. Then Olaf, the snowman, showed up and said hi."

"Ah yes, Olaf," says Elsa with a smile. "He can be quite a surprise for newcomers to Arendelle. Funny I don't recall hearing a scream or even a report of someone screaming."

Kristian begins to explain his reaction, "Yes Olaf was a surprise alright, but he wasn't exactly something totally new to me. He was the first talking snowman that I have ever seen though. For some reason, he took a liking to me."

Anna then speaks up, "That's Olaf for you. He has a good heart and a childlike demeanor. He likes everyone that he meets. He, must of, really liked you. If he suggested you meet with Elsa."

Kristian rubs the back of his neck. He is not sure of how to respond to this comment. "Ya well, anyway Olaf began to explain the statues, the snow, and himself to me. He also explained how Elsa could live out in the open here, mostly because of Anna's love.

Elsa then speaks. "Yes, I am truly grateful for my sister. If it wasn't for Anna, I would most likely be exiled into the mountains; if not killed outright."

"You know I would never let that happen if I can help it Elsa," replies Anna.

Elsa turns towards her sister. "I know Anna," responds Elsa. "And I would try and do the same for you as well." Then turning back towards Kristian she asks, "So was it learning about me that you decided to come into the palace?"

"No it wasn't," responds Kristian feeling more comfortable in the situation. "I would have left shortly after learning about you, but the Duke of Weselton came in. I followed him and he led me to you."

"You know the Duke of Weselton?" asks Elsa. "How do you know him?"

Kristian realizes he has said something that he should have not mentioned. "I, um, ya know of him. Met him once," nervously replies Kristian. He glances around looking for any possible way to escape. "I, ah, gotta go!" With that Kristian pushes forward towards Anna and Elsa. He goes between the sisters. To get by them, he reaches out and places his bare hand on Elsa's lower arm which is uncovered. Kristian pushes Elsa out of his way as he quickly heads towards the exit. This move startles Elsa and for a moment she is stunned. Elsa grabs the spot that Kristian touched with her hand and can only watch Kristian walk away.

Anna sees the shocked expression on her sister's face. She tries to console Elsa, "It is OK Elsa. He just couldn't handle you being you. I'm sure there are other guys out there that will not have a problem with your magic."

"No Anna, it is not that," replies Elsa in disbelief. Elsa lifts up the arm that Kristian touched, still holding the spot with her other hand to show Anna. "He touched me. Even after learning of my magic powers, he touched me! He had no fear, what so ever!"

Anna beams with delight. She goes and grabs Elsas hand and says, "Oh! That is great Elsa! See there is someone out there for you! I know what we can do. We can invite him for dinner tomorrow and get to know him better; you, Kristian, Kristoff and me. We can have a double date!"

"Anna wait," interrupts Elsa. "We don't even know where he is spending the night. How can we invite him to dinner tomorrow?"

Anna realizes that Elsa is right. Anna turns towards the way out, and pulling Elsa along she says, "Come on! We have to catch up to him!" Elsa is a little reluctant to follow, but eventually she is running with Anna. As Elsa begins to run, Anna lets go of her hand.

"Anna this is crazy!" says Elsa to her sister. "We hardly know the guy and he didn't seem all that excited to stick around."

Anna tosses Elsa's gloves to her and replies, "Kristian is curious about you, because he was watching you from the hall. Maybe he is just the nervous type. Sometimes people can get really nervous when they meet royalty; and after all, you are the Queen of Arendelle. Also don't forget that Olaf is a friend of his. Olaf maybe a little off beat, but he has been a good judge of character."

The ladies burst into the main hall. Elsa is putting her gloves back on and Anna is scanning the room for Kristian. "I wouldn't put a lot of faith in Olaf's judgment just yet," says Elsa. "He is, after all, less than a year old."

"You've got to be a little more positive, Elsa," replies Anna. Anna continues to scan the room with no success.

Kristian had quickly moved himself through the main hall. Kristian has spent more time at the palace than he should have. Once he reaches the palace courtyard, Kristian stops and looks around for a moment. The sun is just setting and the court yard is being lit by the pit fires, torches, and the ice globes. Kristian then heads quickly towards the main gates. As he passes the statues of Elsa's parents, Kristian stops and looks at them for one last time. "Sorry Elsa," whispers Kristian. "I have brought danger to you and your home."

Olaf happens to be in the courtyard and sees Kristian standing in front of the statues. "Hey, Kristian!" calls out Olaf. "Are you leaving already?"

"Sorry Olaf, but I have got to be going," calls back Kristian. Kristian then turns and heads out the main gates and crosses the bridge. Soon he has disappeared into the village of Arenedelle.

Back in the main hall, Anna sees Kristoff approaching her and Elsa. "Kristoff! have you seen Kristian?" asks Anna excitedly.

"Who?" asks Kristoff?

"Right you haven't met him," replies Anna. "Kristian is a guy with reddish brown hair, about your height and build. He is also under dressed for this occasion and a tad dirty from traveling. Plus, he came out these doors just a little bit before we did."

Oh yeah, I think I did see him," replies Kristoff. "He was in a hurry heading out the front door of the palace."

"Come on Elsa," anxiously says Anna. "We may still be able to catch up to him."

"Wait! What's going on?!" Kristoff calls out to Anna, as Anna and Elsa hurry out to the palace courtyard.

When they reach the courtyard, the two ladies slow to a walking pace, each one scanning the courtyard for Kristian. However, they only end up finding Olaf. This time it is Elsa who asks the question. "Olaf, have you seen Kristian?"

"Yes, he was here just a moment ago," replies Olaf. "But he said that he had to go when he saw me and left through the palace gates."

"Let's move it!" says Anna to Elsa. The sisters run out onto the bridge followed by Olaf. However, Elsa starts to walk and finally stops about two thirds of the way across the bridge. Anna makes it all the way across the bridge when she realizes that Elsa has stopped. Anna turns back and hurries to her sister. "Why have you stopped? There is still a chance we can find him," says Anna.

"No. Not tonight," sadly replies Elsa. "It is getting dark out, and he is most certainly would have gotten into the village by now. Even if we could find the street that he is on, we could easily walk right by him and not notice. It's over."

"OK, maybe you're right," replies Anna. "But it is not over. When the sun comes out tomorrow, we can look for him. After all, Kristian did say he was here on business. Kristian certainly would not have finished it by this evening, if he was spending time at the palace. So he still should be around somewhere in Arendelle."

Elsa's mood improves but she is still skeptical. "Maybe, but even so the chances of finding him are not good," says Elsa. "And I am uncertain that Kristian will accept an invitation for dinner anyway."

"Come on Elsa," encourages Anna. "You've got to be positive. If we all look tomorrow we will find Kristian, and he will accept a dinner invitation. After all, not many people can actually dine with a queen."

"Maybe you are right," replies Elsa. "However, I cannot help in the search tomorrow morning. Some of the merchant captains will want to leave as soon as possible, and I must see to the kingdom's business with them before they leave."

"That's OK, Elsa," speaks up Olaf. "I will be able to help Anna look and I am sure Kristoff can help as well. With the three of us looking we can cover the village in no time. So can we get back to the party and have some fun then?"

Elsa smiles at Olaf and kindly says, "Of course, there are a few hours to go yet; and we might as well enjoy the rest of the evening."


	3. Chapter 3

Kristian has made it to the edge of Arendelle and is heading into the hillside. By now there is very little light from the sun. Kristian lets one of his hands light up, so he can hunt the ground for a thick stick. Once he finds a stick that he likes, Kristian grabs it with his flaming hand. He lifts the stick into the air and makes the fire climb to the top of the stick. The fire then sits at the top of the stick and the stick burns like a torch. "Goran is going to be upset with me when I get back to camp," Kristian says to himself.

As Kristian approaches the site where he had left Mattias, he can see two fires burning. One is up in the rocks. This one Kristian knows is Mattias. The other one is down in front of the rocks. Most likely, this one is from Goran. As Kristian nears, he sees Goran sitting on a boulder next to the fire. "You're late," growls Goran.

"I know I am late," replies Kristian. "But I have found out why the Duke of Weselton wants to get rid of this ice witch."

"His reasons don't matter. Mine do," rebuffs Goran.

"Well they should matter to you," contradicts Kristian. "The Duke has hired us only because the King of Weselton is displeased with him. For some reason, the Duke's actions here in Arendelle got all trade stopped between Arendelle and Weselton. We are not saving the people of Arendelle. We are going to be interfering in their lives."

"Saving Arendelle was never my goal," replies Goran. "Only eliminating the ice witch matters, everything else is meaningless."

Kristian has always hated the way Goran was intractable from his positions. Yet this time he had hoped that Goran would be willing to forget his goal. Because this goal would mean that Goran would have to reveal himself to the village of Arendelle. Something that Goran has always tried to avoid doing, when dealing with others.

"Goran, you've got to see reason this time," continues Kristian. "The people here have accepted Elsa and her abilities. She is living freely among them with no fear of being persecuted. Many of them will come to her defense if we try anything against her. Look, there is just no way we can fight the whole village."

Goran has been listening to what Kristian has to say. Goran has been sitting, watching the fire burn in front of him. While Kristian is standing off to the side of Goran, arguing his position. When Kristian was done speaking, Goran stands up and with a cold tone he says, "So you have found this ice witch then. Named Elsa is she? So where can we find her?"

Kristian realizes that he has given too much away about Elsa. Hoping to make the task seem even more impossible he continues by saying, "It's not just the villagers we have to worry about, but it is also the palace guards. It won't be easy to get into the palace to get close to her."

Before Kristian can finish speaking, Goran speaks up with an angry surprise in his voice. "The palace? The royal family here is protecting this Elsa witch?"

"Um ya," replies Kristian with hesitation. "She is ah, a member of the royal family. So a lot of the people actually love her. Goran, can't you see that this is going to be a mistake?"

Goran's anger is growing. He makes a fist with one hand and holds it in front of him, a few inches away from his chest. That fist lights up with fire and its intensity grows. Then Goran releases the fire from his hand, like pushing something out of the palm of his hand. The fire ball flies into the campfire which burst into a tall column of fire. With anger he says, "This makes her an even bigger threat to us than before. Not only do we have to face her powers, but we have to face her family's army as well. This witch must be eliminated soon if we are going to be able to defeat her."

"Goran, you can't be serious about going up against Queen Elsa," says a worried Kristian.

Hearing that Elsa is the queen enrages Goran. From his two fists, at his sides, fire wicks up his arms and the back of his head. Then, turning towards the rock outcropping, Goran thrusts forward with both hands. This sends a giant fireball into the rocks. This fireball blasts many of the rocks away from the surface in small chunks. Mattias, who is resting peacefully, is startled by the noise and vibrations. The fire bird takes off from his resting site and circles a little before coming to rest on a rock near Kristian.

"How dare she live peacefully in that village!" fumes Goran. "While we were driven out of our homes, she gets to command a kingdom and be respected by its inhabitants! Monsters like us don't get that sort of treatment! She will learn what being us is like, before she is eliminated."

Kristian sees that he has failed to convince Goran to leave. So Kristian asks, "What are you planning to do, that will accomplish that?"

"If these people like ice so much, I'm going to give them ice from up there," replies an angry Goran as he points up towards the mountain top. The ground around the campsite is a mixture of grass, dirt, and snow. The warm spring air has only just started to melt the snow at the lower levels. Up on the mountains, the snow has thinned but large amounts remain intact.

"You want us to bring that snow down here?" questions Kristian.

"Not us, me," replies Goran gruffly. "I can send the snow down on its own weight to devastate the village. Your job is to watch the ice witch. She must be in Arendelle when the avalanche hits. That way she will get the blame for the devastation. You need to make sure she will be there for a few days and notify me if she is not." Goran begins to pack his things to get ready for the hike up into the mountains.

Kristian has always known Goran to be determined in his actions, but even he is surprised by how driven Goran has become about Elsa. "Are you going up there tonight?" asks Kristian.

"The night is the best time to travel when you are on a mission of secrecy," replies Goran. "Few people are out at night, making it easy to move around without being noticed. Besides, the sooner I get up there the sooner the threat of that witch will be removed." Goran then swings his pack onto his back and starts to walk away, heading for the mountains.

As Goran leaves, Kristian slumps down onto a rock and hangs his head. Mattias jumps off his boulder and hops around to look at Kristian's face. Mattias lets out a questioning squawk. Kristian lifts his head and looks at Mattias. "Mattias, things have turned into a right mess," sighs Kristian. "I was never all that thrilled about getting this job, but Goran was my mentor and the closes thing I have to a family."

Kristian stands up and moves to his pack. He kneels down and pulls a blanket out of his pack. "Yet Elsa has made a home here, a good one where she is accepted. Why can't Goran be happy that someone like us has found a place to call home?" Kristian lays the blanket out next to the fire and places his pack at one end. "Yet Goran has kept me alive and safe. So who am I to question his judgment?" Kristian then sits down on the center of the blanket and grabs a stick and throws it into the fire. Mattias then jumps into the fire himself. Mattias nestles down into the burning wood and eats some of the hot coals. Kristian reaches into the fire and pats Mattias on the head, before laying down with his head on his pack.

"I will tell you one thing Mattias. Elsa certainly was a pretty lady," says Kristian. Then taking hold of the edge of the blanket, Kristian rolls over; and covers himself with the blanket. Then Kristian lets out another sigh. "I just don't know what to do anymore." Kristian then falls into a restless sleep.

* * *

><p>Next morning, Anna is lying in her bed when she hears a knock on her door. Then the door knob turns and Olaf pops his head in. "Hey Anna are you up!" chirps Olaf. Anna rolls over and places a pillow on the top of her head.<p>

A muffled voice comes from under Anna's pillow. "Olaf, it's early. Can you give me a few minutes?" says Anna.

"I just thought if we were going to be looking for Kristian, that you might want to get an early start," replies Olaf as he heads towards the window to open the drapes. Olaf pushes the drapes back and looks out the window. "It certainly is a beautiful day out there."

Anna shifts herself under her covers and peaks from under the pillow at the light coming from the window. A muffled yawn comes from under the pillow. "Yes, there is a bright blue sky out there, and it will be out there later too," replies a sleepy Anna.

Olaf begins to walk over to Anna's wardrobe. "So what do you want to wear this morning?" asks Olaf. "The sun is warm but the air is a little cool, or at least that is what I've been told. Being a snowman gives me a different sense of warmth."

Anna lets out a groan. Anna realizes that Olaf is not going to leave her alone. So Anna sits up in bed and sets her feet onto the floor. She sighs and says, "Alright Olaf, I'm up. You can go tell the kitchen staff to get my breakfast ready. I'll be down in 15 minutes."

"Good to hear that," replies Olaf. "The sooner we get going, the sooner I can say hi to my pal Kristian." With that Olaf heads to the door. Before he shuts the door Olaf says, "Once I've informed the kitchen, I'll go and get Kristoff ready as well." Then Olaf shuts the door as he leaves.

With a weary smile Anna says, "Poor Kristoff, I bet he is not ready to get up either because of last night's party." Anna then lies back down on the bed and covers herself up. A few seconds later, Anna hears birds chirping outside her window. She looks out the window and sees 2 birds sitting on the railing. They are singing with all their worth. Anna sighs and sits up again. "It looks like the whole world wants me to get up already." So Anna sluggishly gets herself ready and heads down to eat breakfast.

In the royal family's private dinning quarters, Elsa has just finished her breakfast and pushed her plate off to the side. A fire is burning in the fireplace, with a kettle hung on a swing hook over the fire. Elsa has pulled some papers in front of her as well as a quill pen. She is looking over the papers to make sure everything is in order for today's meetings. A servant comes up to Elsa and removes the dirty dishes for the queen. As she is doing this Anna walks into the room. "Ah, good morning princess Anna. I see you are up early after all," calls out the servant.

"Good morning," replies a half sleeping Anna as she sets herself down roughly onto a chair across from Elsa.

Elsa looks up from her papers, across the table at Anna. She smiles and says, "When Olaf said you would be down in 15 minutes, I wasn't expecting you for at least a half hour. Right now, it has only been about 10."

"Some birds singing got me up after Olaf left," replies Anna as she places her elbows on the table and props her head up on her hands.

Elsa straightens her papers and sets them down on the table. "Yes, well spring is here and even the birds are enjoying the warmer weather," replies Elsa. "Your breakfast won't be ready for a few minutes yet. Would you like some tea while you wait?"

"Sure," replies Anna only half awake.

Elsa gets up from the table and heads over to the fireplace. She swings the kettle away from the fire; and without thinking, Elsa wraps her bare hand around the hot handle of the kettle.

"Boy, I wish that I could do that," says Anna as she watches Elsa pick up the kettle from the hook.

"Do what?" asks Elsa.

"Pick up a hot pot without any protection," replies Anna.

"Oh that," replies Elsa. Then as she walks back to the table Elsa says, "My magic powers do come in handy from time to time. I don't even realize that I am using them sometimes." Elsa picks up a cup, from in front of Anna, and pours some tea into the cup. "I can feel the heat from the handle but my magic has cooled it enough so that I don't even get burned." Elsa then hands the cup to Anna.

Anna cups both hands around the cup of tea and sips. Then Anna leans back in her chair. "Mm, that's better," says Anna. "So what are those papers you have over there," says Anna as she nods her head towards the stack on the other side of the table.

"Some of those are reports from certain divisions of the palace," replies Elsa. "The palace guards, the kitchen staff, the stable hands, the ships captains, the house servants, and the treasury. They report what they have, what they need, and what they would like to have. I will be meeting with the heads of each division this morning in a large conference. Some of the items the kingdom needs can be gotten right here in Arendelle. Others need to be traded for. I want to have a list prepared before some of the trade merchants set sail."

"Sounds like you have a full plate then," replies Anna, glad that she does not have the responsibility.

"It is not as bad as it sounds," replies Elsa. "However, it must be done; and the sooner some of it is taken care of, the better off the kingdom and the next staff meeting will be."

Just then a servant appears at the door of the dinning quarters and Elsa sees him as he enters. "It looks like my first duties of the day are just beginning," says Elsa as she picks up her papers and places the ink well on a side table.

"Well, have fun then," says Anna as she waves to her sister.

"I think you will have more fun than I will this morning," replies Elsa as she walks out the door followed by the servant who came in.

After eating breakfast, Anna heads out of the palace. She is wearing a long sleeved dress for the air is still a little cool in the morning. Anna heads out onto the bridge that connects the palace with the village. She stops half way across to look at the ships in the harbor. Anna can see the ships docked alongside the village and some of the people working on and around the ships. Anna then walks to the town square which is located at the other end of the bridge. Anna stops there for a moment. "Now where should I start to look for Kristian?" Anna says to herself. As she is thinking, Anna sees Olaf walking towards her down one of the streets. Anna heads towards him and meets Olaf in the square. "Did you get Kristoff, Olaf?" Anna asks.

"Yep, I went to see him," replies Olaf. "Kristoff said that he had some business to do at the docks this morning, but he said we can meet him there."

"Well that decides where we will start looking first," says Anna. "We will ask around the docks if anyone knows where Kristian is."

"Then let's get going," chirps Olaf as he starts to trot off towards the docks.

"Wait up, Olaf!" calls out Anna as she hurries after him.

In the meantime, Kristian has just gotten to the edge of Arendelle. He stops for a moment, looking at the road that leads into the village. "You've got a job to do here Kristian," he says to himself. "Goran always says that personal connections make you weak. Today, I will be as cold as Goran is about this whole matter." Kristian puts on a pair of leather gloves. Then with a deep breath Kristian heads into the village, walking down a street that is on the opposite side of the town as the docks.

At the docks, Anna and Olaf have been asking people if they know the whereabouts of Kristian. No one, that they meet, knows who Kristian is. After a while, they come across Kristoff. "Hi Kristoff, Sven!" calls out Olaf.

Kristoff is loading ice onto his hand cart from the wagon that Sven is pulling. "Hi Olaf," replies Kristoff as he takes a break from his work. "Have you guys had any luck this morning?"

Anna, who has walked up to Kristoff, replies; "No, no one seems to even know who Kristian is. If he had business here in Arendelle, you would think someone at the docks would have heard of him."

"Not all business in Arendelle is done at the docks," points out Kristoff. There are the stores near the town square and by the main road. Not to mention the warehouses where I keep a shed for all of my ice for Arendelle. A lot of people also do business out of their homes as well."

"So what you are saying is, that we have to canvas the whole village," replies Anna.

"Afraid we are going to have too," replies Kristoff. "I'll tell you what. After I'm done here, I'll finish asking along the docks as I head back to my shed and then I'll ask around there. You can go ask around the shops about Kristian."

"That sounds like a good idea," responds Anna as she is feeling more positive about the undertaking. "Olaf can head to the residential part of town and ask there."

"Sure thing Anna," pipes up Olaf. "I know a number of kids around town. I bet I will find someone who knows about Kristian, from one of them." Olaf begins to head off to the residential areas.

"Let's meet in the town square at noon!" calls out Anna to Olaf.

"Sure thing Anna!" replies Olaf. "I'll see you then!"

"I guess, I should be moving on to then," says Anna as she stands looking at Kristoff.

"Ya," replies Kristoff. "This ice isn't going to unload itself either. See ya this noon."

"See ya," replies Anna as she heads off to the markets and stores in town.

* * *

><p>Up in the mountains, Goran has walked all night. Goran has finally reached a place where he will begin to do his work. Goran walks up to and stands at the edge of a cliff. Behind him the mountain slopes up quickly. "This spot will do," states Goran. "But first, I'm going to need some help."<p>

Goran turns around. Flame bands begin to swirl around his body. His hands light up with fire. Goran then throws a hand forward. A flame band follows the direction that the hand moves and shots off the end of Goran's fingertips. The band flies and lands on the ground. The band then swirls up from the ground and condenses into a humanoid fire creature. Goran repeats this process 5 more times. Soon Goran has 6 large creatures of fire waiting to do his desires.

Goran addresses his creations, "You beast are here to build a wall of snow and ice. Behind this wall you will pile more snow and ice, and anything else you can find. I want you to clear as much of this mountain as you can and place it right here. Now get to work." Goran release a super heated flame from his hand. It creates a loud crack like thunder through the air. The large creatures roar from the ear piercing noise as they cringe from fear. Then they head off across the mountain to gather the snow and ice.

Goran, himself, heads off to a nearby rock face. Goran places his hands on the rock wall and causes his hands to flame up. The flame first grows. Then the flame turns into the rock wall, where it disappears through the cracks of the rock. Goran steps back away from the wall with his hands stretched out towards the rock. The spot, where his hands were, begins to glow red. Then Goran flings his arms away from the wall. As he does this, the rock wall rumbles and rocks comes flying out of the rock face. In short order, Goran has created a cave which he then enters. Once inside the cave, Goran throws his pack down and bends over to pull a blanket out of it. "It was a long hike last night," Goran tells himself. "Even I can't stay up forever." Before going to bed, Goran leans over a pile of rocks in the cave and sends his powers into them. Fire is soon coming from the rocks but the rocks do not burn. The rocks have become his campfire and since Goran placed his own power into them they will not go out for a long while.

Outside on the mountain, Goran's fire creatures are gathering snow and ice. When a creature bends over to pick up a large chunk of snow and ice, he first cuts through it with a flaming hand. The hand hisses as it melts its way through the ice. Once the creature has cut deep enough, it then lifts the chunk up and carries it back to the cliff. The melting ice creates a fog. It is only a little fog right now, but as more trips are made the fog grows denser and bigger.

* * *

><p>Down in the village of Arendelle; Olaf, Kristoff, and Anna have been searching the village for Kristian with no success. Meanwhile, Kristian has moved to the edge of the town square. From here he is able to watch the palace. Kristian moves from one spot to another spot around the edge of the square. At some point, Kristian stops for breakfast at one of these locations. Kristian sits down here and eats slowly. Kristian needs to remain close to the palace so he can see who is coming out of the main gates. He tries not to linger at any one spot for too long, because Kristian does not want to draw attention to himself. Around noon, Kristian is leaning against a building, looking at the palace. There are items placed around this spot by merchants, which partially provides some cover.<p>

Meanwhile, Anna and Kristoff have run into each other in the center of town. "Hi Kristoff. Have you found anything out about Kristian?" asks Anna.

"I haven't found out anything about him," replies Kristoff.

"Neither have I," responds Anna. "It's like he hasn't even been in the village. If you were doing business in Arendelle, surely there would be a number of people who would have heard of you. It's not like Arendelle is a big place."

"I know what you mean," replies Kristoff. "The docks would have been the most likely spot for him to be. Most visitors and traders to Arendelle end up going there. Yet no one there has even heard of him. Maybe Kristian was lying to you."

"Maybe he was lying," replies Anna. "After all, Elsa and I did catch him eves dropping on us from the hallway."

"Perhaps Kristian was spying for another kingdom," wonders Kristoff. "That would be a business that wouldn't require much interaction with people."

"A spy?" questions Anna. "I don't think Kristian is a spy, Kristoff. If he is, he is a very poor one."

"Well, I never said that he was a good spy," replies Kristoff with humor.

"This is just speculation anyway," states Anna. "All we know is that we have not found him. Let's go head to the town square and meet up with Olaf. Maybe he has found out something. Besides, I'm getting a little hungry."

Anna turns and heads off to meet up with Olaf. Kristoff follows and catches up with Anna and walks by her side.

Kristian is standing at his spot leaning against the building. People have been passing by, not paying any attention to him. After all, they have other things on their minds. On Kristian's mind is the palace and Queen Elsa.

Kristian has already spent several hours watching the palace and he is getting bored. "This is probably the most boring job that I have ever done," says Kristian to himself. "What is the point of me standing here anyway? I doubt Elsa would be going anywhere. She gets to spend time in a comfy palace, while I have to settle for hard benches and stone walls outside. Goran really does like to make my life difficult."

While Kristian stands there watching the palace, behind him comes Anna and Kristoff. Anna is the first one to see Kristian and she stops walking. Kristoff made a few steps more and turns around and asks Anna, "Why have you stopped?"

Anna points towards Kristian and says with excitement, "Over there, it is Kristian! We have found him!"

Kristoff turns and looks in the direction that Anna is pointing. "We have been going through all this trouble for this guy?" asks Kristoff. "He looks like he came from the back country."

"Kristoff, you came from the back country," responds Anna. "So you should be the last person to be making such comments, or should I go look for some prince to be my boyfriend."

"OK, OK," apologizes Kristoff. "You have made your point. I guess the way a guy dresses doesn't matter all that much."

"It matters some," replies Anna. "But it is not the most important thing. A guy's character makes clothing seem insignificant. Besides, changing a guy's clothes is easier than changing his character."

"Well, go and ask him to dinner already," states Kristoff. "That way we can conclude this part of your master plan and get ourselves a bite to eat."

Anna gives Kristoff an elbow into his stomach for that last comment and heads towards Kristian. "Kristian! Hi there!" calls out Anna. "I'm glad that I was able to find you!"

Kristian stops leaning against his wall and turns to look at Anna and Kristoff approaching. A feeling of dread enters Kristian's mind as he is discovered. "Um, hi Anna," replies Kristian. "What is it that I can do for you?" Kristian moves out from behind the merchant goods and walks a little bit into the village square away from Anna and Kristoff.

Anna follows him and says, "Oh, I was talking with Elsa yesterday; and we thought that it would be a good idea, if we invited you to come dine with us this evening in the palace."

Kristian takes a few steps backwards into the square. Kristian wants to get away from Anna and Kristoff, but he does not want to make them suspicious of him. Anna's invitation to dinner also shocks him. "Wait, what?" responds Kristian to Anna's invitation.

* * *

><p>In the palace, Elsa has managed to finish her morning work and she heads to her room to rest. In her room, Elsa stretches her arms out and yawns. "I wonder how Anna is doing on her quest for this morning," Elsa wonders aloud.<p>

Elsa hears song birds outside her window, and she goes over and opens the window to hear them better. "Hi there," Elsa says to the song birds as some of them land near her window. "I see you are enjoying the spring weather too. Your lovely songs certainly say that you do." As the song birds fly away, Elsa follows them with her eyes. The birds fly down to the square. Elsa watches them in the square from her room, but she also checks out the rest of the square. "There is Anna," she says as Elsa spots her sister in the square. "And Kristoff as well." Elsa looks at the third figure in the square with Anna and Kristoff. Elsa gets excited when she realizes who it is. "They have found him!" Elsa excitedly exclaims. "They have actually found him!"

Elsa hurries to her vanity mirror. Stooping over, Elsa looks into the mirror and runs her fingers through her hair to straighten it out. Then Elsa quickly runs out of her room and down the stairs. Elsa is leaving a small trail of snow behind her as she runs. She keeps running out of the palace, through the courtyard, and through the main gates. Elsa doesn't stop running until she gets across the bridge. Then she stops, panting. Elsa brushes her hair back with her hands and composes herself before she begins to walk across the village square.

Anna had just asked Kristian to dinner at the palace and Kristian was surprised by the invitation. "That's right, I'm inviting you to dine with Elsa and me; and of course Kristoff here as well," says Anna as she continues to follow Kristian.

Kristian keeps backing away from Anna and Kristoff. "You really are serious about this dinner invitation then," responds Kristian.

"You don't know how serious," replies Kristoff. "She even had me searching the village for you this morning. It is all part of her master plan to set up a double date."

Anna turns and glares at Kristoff for the comment. Kristian is taken aback by the comment as well. Kristian continues to move backwards. Anna keeps moving closer to Kristian to speak with him. "It is no big deal," says Anna. "It will be a nice meal for the four of us, and our way of saying welcome to Arendelle. Afterwards we can give you a proper tour of the palace."

"I don't think I will be able to come to your dinner," replies Kristian as he turns away from Anna and tries to walk away.

Anna quickly moves and walks along side of Kristian. "Oh come on," continues Anna. "Elsa would like to get to know you better. You left in a bit of a hurry last night and we didn't actually find out that much about you. Surely you have questions of your own to ask."

"Sorry Anna, I'm just going to have to decline," replies Kristian as he hurries his pace leaving Anna behind.

Anna was about to hurry after him when Kristoff grabs a hold of her arm. "Anna let him be," Kristoff says. "You can't make someone do something they don't want to."

Anna was sad because she wanted this to work out for her sister, and she had spent all morning trying to make it happen. Anna just stood there and watched Kristian walk away. All of a sudden, Anna saw Kristian stop. Her spirits begin to lift. "Maybe there still is a chance," says Anna as she sees Olaf coming from the direction that Kristian was heading.

Kristian had seen Olaf, and his heart had gotten into his throat. "Oh man, what have I gotten myself into," Kristian says to himself.

Olaf approaches and calls out, "Kristian! Did you know that you are a hard man to find? I've been looking for you all morning!"

"Yes, Anna said she was looking for me, and it looks like she got you looking as well," replied a reluctant Kristian.

"Well at least we found you," states a cheerful Olaf. "Now we can invite you to a delicious dinner."

"Sorry Olaf but I already declined Anna's offer," replies Kristian.

"Oh come on," replies Olaf trying to encourage Kristian. "Don't be a party pooper. The food will be real yummy and besides you never had any of the delicious treats from last night. You just can't leave until you had a yummy marshmallow."

Anna had walked up behind Kristian and was listening To Olaf's and Kristian's conversation. "There are other deserts besides marshmallows as well," says Anna from behind Kristian. Kristian spins around and faces Anna. He is feeling trapped and stunned at the same time. "We have gotten a shipment of fresh berries in yesterday," continues Anna. "We can offer you fruit pies and cobblers. Fresh garden produce as well. The palace has some of the best cooks in the kingdom and I can assure you that your taste buds will not be disappointed."

Kristian head was spinning. He was only supposed to watch the palace and stay out of sight. Now Kristian was caught in the middle of the palace life itself. Forcing his way out would only give Kristian away and could leave Goran's plans up in the air. Kristian had declined their offers already and it had gotten him nowhere. Finally, they were being kind to him. The last kindness that Kristian had truly felt was from his mother, and she passed away before Kristian was a teenager.

"I really shouldn't, Anna," tries Kristian again to get out of the date. "It would not be appropriate for me to be seen at the palace with you and Elsa."

Elsa has finally walked across the village square and heard enough of the conversation. She replies to Kristian's comment. "It would be perfectly fine by me if you would come to dinner."

Kristian turns again. This time it is Elsa that he faces. Kristian is now in the middle of everyone; Anna and Kristoff on one side, Olaf on another, and Elsa walking up on the third.

"The dinner will be an informal affair, so you can come as you are," continues Elsa. "And while we dine, I can tell you about the history of Arendelle and the history of my family all the way up to my own story."

"Your own story?" asks Kristian. Since last evenings encounter with Elsa, Kristian was curious about how Elsa ended up ruling Arendelle. Olaf had already given him pieces of Elsa's story but not all of the details. Kristian's curiosity was getting in the way of his loyalty to Goran and his resolve to do his assignment of watching Elsa.

"Yes, my story," replies Elsa as she smiles. Elsa spirits soar when she notices the interest that Kristian has in her own history. "I can tell you about my childhood in the palace, how my teen years were difficult, and how I was able to rule Arendelle openly with my magic powers. So will you come to dinner this evening?"

With hesitation Kristian replies, "I don't know."

"Oh just say yes," interrupts Anna. "When will there be another time, you will get to dined in a palace with royalty."

"It will be fun," says Olaf. "It will be like a mini party. 5 good friends, all together, will be having a wonderful time."

"I can't say that I am friends with anyone here," contradicts Kristian.

"Of course you can," replies Olaf. "You are my friend, and soon you will be Anna's friend and Kristoff's friend and Elsa's friend.

Kristian stops and stares at Olaf's smiling face. He never considered Olaf as a friend. Yet; what Olaf had done for Kristian last night, by keeping his secret, was an act of friendship. A slight smile comes to Kristian's face as he looks at the odd little snowman.

"So what is your answer?" asks Elsa as she notices the smile on Kristian's face.

Kristian stands quietly for a moment, just looking at Olaf's face. Olaf nods his head yes at Kristian. Kristian then looks up towards Elsa and says, "I guess I can come to a dinner for one evening."

"That's wonderful," chirps Olaf as he runs up to Kristian and gives him a hug. "You can become my new best friend."

This move surprises Kristian. "Alright Olaf! Just take it easy will ya," says Kristian to the snowman.

Elsa giggles at Kristian's plight with Olaf. Meanwhile, Anna is getting excited. It had not gone as smoothly as she wanted it to, but the double date was on and Anna was going to make it into a fantastic event.


	4. Chapter 4

Up in the mountain, Goran has gotten only a few hours of sleep in his cave. He is feeling resentful of the queen in her palace, while Goran had to sleep on a rock floor in a cave that he created. After eating a noon meal, Goran pulls a spyglass out of his pack and walks outside to check on the work that his fire creations are doing. For the few hours that they have been working, a wall about 4 feet high and 200 yards long has been created.

Goran grumbles, "At this rate it will take over a week to gather sufficient ice."

Goran then checks out the conditions of his fire creations. They have become weak from handling the snow and ice. The melting snow has extinguished some of their flame. One in particular is struggling to do his work.

"You creatures are pathetic!" shouts Goran. "You can't even handle the simplest of tasks that I gave you! If you cannot do the work, than I have no need of you!" Goran then creates a sizable fire ball and releases it at the struggling beast. The beast screams as it is ripped into many small fires that dissipate in the mountain winds. After the monster is gone, Goran shoots out 5 ribbons of flame, each one hitting a remaining monster. These monsters roar as their energy is restored and they grow in size. Next, Goran shoots out another 5 ribbons of flame. Each ribbon spirals in on itself and solidifies into a new creature. Now there are 10 fire monsters to gather the ice and snow.

"Now they shall finish in half the time," says Goran with a smile.

Once Goran was finish with his inspection of the wall, he walks to the edge of the cliff and pulls out his spyglass. From this vantage point, Goran can make out the village of Arendelle. Goran looks through his spyglass at the palace and then at the village. "Looks like Kristian has kept a quiet presence in Arendelle," says Goran, since he sees no indication of trouble. As Goran scans the village, he finally sees a figure that he focuses on. From this distance, Goran can tell it is a man and he is certain it is Kristian. It was Kristian. Kristian was eating a lunch that he had picked up from the village market. Goran smiles, "At least that boy knows how to do a job when I tell him to do it. He will make a good warrior for me yet."

Goran has never cared about Kristian. Goran only cares about Kristian's magic powers, and how he can use those magic powers of Kristian's to accomplish his goals. Right now Goran's goal is to end Queen Elsa's reign and her life.

* * *

><p>Once Kristian had accepted the dinner invitation, he knew that there would be no point in watching the palace for the rest of the day. Elsa would be in the palace getting things ready for the dinner that evening. So Kristian decided to get a bit to eat in the village before he went back to his campsite. Elsa and Anna had headed back to the palace, and Kristoff went back to his shed. Meanwhile, Olaf was touring the market. Olaf always did enjoy mingling with people and the market was always busy. He had become a regular visitor there and the kids would always come and spend time with Olaf. On this day near the end of his trip through the market, he saw Kristian heading down a street away from the palace.<p>

Olaf hurried after Kristian and called out. "Hey Kristian! Where are you going? You do know that the palace is in the other direction?"

Kristian stops and waits for Olaf to come near before speaking. "Hi Olaf, I know the palace is back that way; but my campsite is out in the hills. I'm heading back to it."

"You don't have a place to stay in town?" asks Olaf. "You can always ask Elsa for a room in the palace. That place has a lot of extra bedrooms."

"No thanks," replies Kristian. "I prefer my solitude in the countryside."

Kristian continues his walk back to his camp. He doesn't want to get close to Elsa, because Kristian is only here to aid Goran in his mission to destroy Elsa. Accepting the invitation to dinner was more than Kristian wanted to do, but the pressuring from everyone to go was high. Of course Kristian's interest, of how Elsa came to live openly in Arendelle, helped persuade him to accept the invitation. Finally, when Olaf called Kristian a friend clinched his acceptance. Kristian never had a friendship that lasted more than a few weeks when he was a kid. As a teenager his only real companions were Goran his mentor; and Mattias, a bird he created himself out of fire.

"You're not much of a socializer are you," states Olaf as he tags along with Kristian.

"Of course not," replies Kristian. "My, um, gift makes it difficult to make long lasting friendships. I find it better to avoid such interactions when possible."

"Gift?" inquires Olaf. "Do you mean your fiery flare?"

"Olaf please, not in public view," says Kristian wanting Olaf to keep quiet about his magic powers.

"OK, your secret then," replies Olaf.

"Yes, that's what I mean by my gift," Kristian replies. "I don't have the luxury of a home like Elsa does. When people find out, trouble always follows."

"So is that why you were so reluctant to accept the dinner invite?" asks Olaf.

"Yes, so I'm not exactly looking forward to this evening's event," responds Kristian.

"Elsa would understand your predicament," states Olaf. "She went through some of it herself. So there is no reason to feel any apprehension. So are you still coming to the dinner then?

"I said that I would come, so I am coming," says Kristian even though he is uncertain that the answer he has giving is going to be true.

When Kristian got to the edge of Arendelle, Olaf was still with him. After a short distance later, Kristian stops and turns towards Olaf. "Are you going to follow me all the way back to my campsite?" asks Kristian.

"Why not, I don't have anything better to do right now," was the response that Olaf gave.

"I'd prefer if you didn't come," says Kristian wanting to keep a few secrets from Olaf yet.

"Why?" asks Olaf. "Is it because you have some silly frilly frock that you wear when you are alone? Maybe you shave your legs and you don't want me to see. Oh I know, you're the abominable snowman's love child and you are trying to protect your daddy's identity."

"What? No!" exclaims Kristian. "It's just that I ah." Kristian is looking at Olaf's smiling face. The kindness that it portrays weakens Kristian's resolve. After a short pause he relents. "OK fine, you can come. You already know one of my secrets. You might as well know this one as well."

"I'll be happy to follow you anywhere," chirps a smiling Olaf.

Kristian turns and walks into the hills with Olaf tagging along. After about 10 minutes they come to Kristian's campsite. All of Kristian's things are lying around the campfire. The campfire was burning away and it looked like it was being attended. "Is there someone else staying here?" asks Olaf. "I would think a fire would have gone out by now."

"There is someone else here," replies Kristian as he walks over to the fire. He takes his gloves off and kneels down next to the fire. Kristian then picks up a stick from the ground. "Hey Mattias, how are you doing?" calls Kristian.

Olaf has moved up along side of Kristian and asks, "You named your fire Mattias? I've heard people naming dogs and cats, but a fire? Are you sure you are feeling OK?

"He's not fully awake yet," replies Kristian. "He likes to snooze when I'm not around. It conserves his fire."

Just then a birds head lifts from the fire and the fire begins to solidify into a more solid shape.

"Whoa, cool," exclaims Olaf. "You made yourself a birdie." Olaf leans in on Mattias. This startles Mattias and the firebird stands up and holds his wings up and hisses at Olaf. The camp fire roars up with flame as Mattias releases his energy. "He is giving me a really warm welcome," says Olaf as he takes a step back.

"It's OK Mattias," says Kristian trying to calm the bird down. "This is Olaf and he is a friend that I have met in Arendelle."

Mattias' fire diminishes and he folds his wings against his body again. His form has now become a solid state. Kristian tosses the stick to Mattias, who in turn eats the stick. Kristian then sticks his arm down into the fire and Mattias hopes onto Kristian's arm. Kristian then lifts Mattias into the air and turns to face Olaf. "That's a good boy," says Kristian as he pats the head of Mattias.

"Wow!" exclaims Olaf. "Did you make him, and can anybody touch him?"

"Yes, I made him," replies Kristian. "Right now he is a little too hot for most people to touch. Those little flames you see coming off his body tells me he has not flamed down all the way. However, Mattias can flame down to a point where he is just warm and not a fire hazard. He is able to take care of himself as long as he can eat something that burns. That way he doesn't need me all the time."

"So is this the secret that you were hiding here, or are there some bunny pj's hiding in that sack over there?" asks Olaf in a sill sarcastic way.

"No pj's Olaf," replies Kristian with a smile. "Just a bird totally made out of fire. He is the one thing that I am the most proud of."

Kristian sits down with his back against the rock out cropping. Olaf goes and sits down a few feet away from him. "So is this what you are going to do for the next few hours?" asks Olaf. "Sit around and do nothing."

"Out here, I don't have to worry as much about showing my magic powers," replies Kristian. "And it gives me time to think in peace."

"So what do you have to think about?" again asks Olaf.

""Right now, it is about the dinner tonight and how I'm going to handle it," replies Kristian. "There are so many things that I don't want revealed to people, and I am not sure how I am going to get through the evening."

"Hey if you are worried about that, I can run interference for you," says Olaf. "I'm great at getting people's thoughts on other things."

Kristian smiles and looks at Olaf. "I'm sure you can," replies Kristian. "I suppose you could help me out this evening. I might need to get out of a few unwanted conversations."

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Elsa made plans for the meal with the kitchen staff. Anna was also making plans with the servants. Elsa was planning this to be a simple affair with good food. Elsa just wanted to learn more about their guest for the dinner. However, Anna was thinking of making this an extravagant event. Anna was going to go all out.<p>

An hour before the dinner guest would be arriving, Elsa and Anna were in their respective rooms getting ready. Elsa was keeping her look simple. It was the same dress she was wearing early in the day. All she did was fix up her hair and add a few accessories. Once done, she got up and walked over to Anna's room and knocked on the door.

"You can come in," calls out Anna.

Elsa enters the room but stops after a few steps in disbelief. What she saw was Anna doing herself up like she was last night. "Anna what are you doing?" Elsa asks. "This was going to be a simple affair, a get to know you sort of thing. You're dressing up to dazzle people."

"I thought it would be a good idea to impress Kristian when he shows up," replies Anna as she works on her face and hair. "I wonder why you have not done the same."

"For a few simple reasons Anna. First of all, Kristian already saw the palace and us done up last night; and secondly Kristian was feeling uneasy when he first meet us. Not to mention the difficulty you had on convincing him to come to dinner," explains Elsa.

"So what do you want me to do, change outfits?" asks Anna, not really wanting to change.

"No, by the time you do change clothes our guests will be here," replies Elsa with an uneasy edge to her voice. "Just don't try to overdo things tonight, OK."

"That might be a bit of a problem, Elsa," states Anna as she turns and stands up. She has just finished getting herself ready.

"Why, what have you done?" asks Elsa as she has become concerned.

"Well, I got the servants to clean and do the palace up like we were receiving an important guest," replies Anna.

"Oh Anna," says Elsa as she shakes her head in disapproval. "Maybe it will turn out all right, but I don't think all your preparations are going to help Kristian feel at ease. Come on, we should head down stairs and meet our guests as they arrive."

As the sisters head down the stairs, Elsa starts to notice some differences in the hall. "Anna, did you have the servants clean everything?"

"Of course," replies Anna. "When the palace is clean is looks splendid."

"Yes it does," agrees Elsa. However with some trepidation Elsa then says, "But not everyone feels comfortable in this type of elegance." As the sisters approach the foyer, Elsa notices banners and flags being displayed when normally they are not. "You got the royal banners out too!" exclaims Elsa. Now Elsa is starting to feel really nervous about this dinner. A few snowflakes begin to fall in the foyer as Elsa's nervousness grows.

"It will be all right, Elsa," says Anna trying to comfort her sister. "I'm sure Kristian is tough enough to handle a few silly banners and a clean floor."

Elsa recomposes herself and replies, "Yes, I'm sure you're right. Someone who travels to a strange land must be able to handle a few unexpected events."

Outside in the courtyard, Kristoff has just showed up on his cart being pulled by Sven. Kristoff is dressed splendidly. Anna had gotten him some fine clothes for him to wear for this dinner. As Kristoff climbs down from the cart, he pulls at his collar. Kristoff is not use to wearing such clothing and he feels uncomfortable. He goes up front and unhitches Sven from the cart.

Anna comes out of the palace because she heard the cart on the stone courtyard. "Kristoff!" she calls out. "I thought it was your cart I heard rolling up."

"Kristoff responds, "Yep, I'm just letting Sven loose so he can have some freedom."

"You do look handsome in your outfit," continues Anna.

"I probably do look good," replies Kristoff. "But I feel like a real monkey wearing this outfit."

Elsa has now walked out into the courtyard. She stops and stares at Kristoff. "Anna has gotten a hold of you as well," says Elsa in disbelief.

"This was not my idea, Elsa," explains Kristoff. "Anna wanted me to be outfitted like royalty. Personally, I would have preferred my standard clothes. The collar on this suit just feels too weird."

"I'm getting to the point of ditching the whole affair and surrendering to my lonely fate," states Elsa, who is feeling helpless in the evening's adventure.

"Oh Elsa," replies Anna. "The evening is not going to be that bad, besides I thought you wanted a dinner to say hello to Kristian."

"I wanted an informal dinner," points out Elsa with disgust. "You have made it into a royal ceremony of pomposity and grandeur. How can anyone get to know someone under those circumstances?"

Anna disagrees with Elsa's evaluation of her work to get everything beautiful, but she doesn't want her sister to be upset. "It's not going to be like that, Elsa," says Anna trying to comfort her sister. "We have held elegant parties before and they went well. Why should this one be any different? Just treat this like you are meeting a special guest from another kingdom. After all, that is kind of what Kristian is. I'll tell you what. Why don't we head to the library and wait for Kristian there. The servants can show him in, when he arrives; and we can have some tea while we wait."

Elsa has calmed down. Elsa knows there is nothing she can do about it anyway. Initially Elsa was feeling positive about the dinner. Now she feels like the dinner will end up fizzling out. ""Yes, some tea sounds like a good idea," says Elsa. "I could use something to relax me, right about now."

Elsa then turns and heads back into the palace. Kristoff then follows her with Anna hanging off of his arm. Anna is all smiles. She has her boyfriend Kristoff looking as handsome as he possible can, even though he continues to pull at his collar. Plus, Kristian is coming. Anna believes that he will be perfect to raise Elsa's spirits. Anna also thinks that all her preparations will really improve the outcome, because who wouldn't want to find a connection with such splendid royalty.

The library was a simple room with six foot bookshelves around the walls. At one end of the room there were tables in the corners with 2 cushion chairs next to each table. On the other end of the room there was a single table with 4 all wooden chairs around it. In the library, Elsa has set herself down on a cushioned chair that was sitting next to a corner table. Anna has set herself on the other chair close to Elsa. Meanwhile, Kristoff moves one of the wooden chairs next to Anna's chair and sits down. Elsa had brought her gloves along with her and she has placed them on the corner table while she was drinking her tea. People are often afraid of making physical contact with Elsa. So she would often wear gloves when she greeted new people. Elsa did not mind wearing the gloves, but it was always a reminder that she was not like everyone else.

Time passes as the trio sit, talk, and drink their tea. Soon the appointed time, for the start of the dinner, came and went. "I don't think he will be coming," says a slightly dejected Elsa as she places the cup of tea down on a saucer in her lap.

"I wouldn't be concerned just yet, Elsa," replies Anna. "He is only 15 minutes late. You can give him another half hour before we call him a no show."

"That's right," adds Kristoff. "Besides, Olaf isn't here either. Most likely the two of them are together. Kristian could have been delayed by work or even Olaf; but if they are together, Olaf will make sure that he shows up."

"Yes, Olaf does seem to have a way of getting to Kristian," replies Elsa. She feels a little more positive, but not entirely convinced that Kristian will show. "We can wait a little longer before heading to dinner. Olaf should be showing up anyway, even if Kristian doesn't."

Out in the village of Arendelle, Olaf is running through the streets. "Hurry up, Kristian! We're already late for the dinner!" exclaims Olaf.

Kristian is walking at a fast pace, but he is not keeping up with Olaf. Olaf ends up running back to Kristian. "Are you going to come or not?" asks Olaf as he tries to hurry Kristian along.

"Olaf, I'm coming," replies Kristian. Kristian reluctantly increases his speed to a jog and Olaf matches his speed right next to him.

"That's better," encourages Olaf. "You'll see. Elsa and Anna will be very gracious hosts. They will also be great friends as well."

The pair reaches the town square and hurry across it to the palace bridge. However as they reach the bridge, Kristian slows down and stops. Olaf then stops and turns around and walks back to Kristian. "Why did you stop?" asks Olaf. "We were almost there."

"Olaf, I just don't think this is a good idea," replies Kristian. "I just can't see it working out. We are literally on opposite sides in so many ways."

"Do we have to have this discussion again?" asks Olaf. "Just forget about all the magic that is going on around here. Think of Elsa as another girl that you have met. Find out who she is as a person. After that, then you can decide to do whatever it is you think is right."

Kristian relents to the persuasion that Olaf was giving and heads across the bridge. Once inside, Olaf asks a servant, "So where can I find Elsa and Anna?"

The servant replies, "They are waiting in the library to greet you. I can take you to them."

"No need to do that. I know the way," replies Olaf as he hurries in the direction of the library. "Come on Kristian! You are falling behind!"

Kristian runs after Olaf. He can't help but shake his head. "Olaf hasn't been giving me a moment to think," says Kristian to himself.

Once Olaf reaches the library, he goes in. Kristian is about 30 feet behind and slows down as he reaches the door. He hesitates there for a moment. In the library, Olaf runs up to Elsa, who is sitting in a chair, and says, "Hi guys, I'm sorry that I'm late. I totally lost track of time."

Elsa is still holding her cup in her hand and reaches out to grab a hold of Olaf's hand with her other one. "Olaf, I'm glad that you came. Did you bring Kristian with you?" she asks.

"Yes, he brought me," says Kristian as he enters the room and walks up to everyone.

"And I tell you this much, it wasn't all that easy to get him to come either," adds Olaf.

"You are a little late," says Elsa with a smile. "But at least you are here. Perhaps we should head off to dinner then before the meal gets too cold."

The chairs that Elsa and Anna are sitting in were made for relaxed sitting. It takes a little effort to get out of them. It takes even more when you are wearing a fancy gown like the one Anna has on. Kristoff sees the difficulty that Anna is having and goes to her. "Here, let me help you up," says Kristoff as he stretches a hand out to Anna to assist her out of the chair.

The chairs are arranged in such a way that this gentlemanly act blocks Elsa from rising from her chair. So she waits for Anna and Kristoff to clear the area before attempting to rise. Kristian watches Kristoff help Anna and when they have moved away, he steps forward and offers his bare hand to Elsa. "Here, I might as well offer to help you as well," says Kristian.

Elsa hesitates for a moment. She does not have her gloves on and her hands are bare as well. Elsa is aware that Kristian knows about her magic powers. Yet, Kristian is offering to help her up without gloves; and he does not even seem to be concerned about it. Finally Elsa offers her hand to Kristian, and he assists Elsa out of the chair.

Elsa smiles as she is lifted out of the chair. "Thank you for the help," Elsa says as she holds onto Kristian's hand and looks into his eyes.

"Um, sure," replies Kristian. He is feeling a little uncomfortable, but he likes looking at Elsa's face. After a moment Kristian says, "I'm afraid that I'm attached to my hand."

"What?" replies Elsa as she is surprised by the comment?

"My hand," replies Kristian. "You're holding my hand like you want to keep it."

"Oh sorry," says Elsa as she lets go of Kristian's hand. She is just a little embarrassed by her actions and turns away. "I'm just not use to such acts."

"What? You mean when I helped you up just now?" asks Kristian.

"Yes," says Elsa as she turns slightly back towards Kristian. "People don't offer to help me like that. I often do things myself or someone has to be wearing gloves. No one, other than Anna, has ever touched me willingly with their bare hands. Sometimes being who I am is a curse."

Kristian had spent most of his life isolated from other people. His concern was always that people might find out about his powers. Often that was not a problem because Kristian had learned to be emotionally distant from people. His mother taught him to be polite and how to have proper manners, but Kristian has little experience in using them. When Elsa told Kristian about the physical contact problem she was having, he never even thought of that problem existing. Kristian could tolerate the cold like Elsa could tolerate the heat. He could feel the cold but his magic powers would moderate the extreme cold to point where it was bearable.

"I never really thought about your magic powers in that way," says Kristian hoping to ease Elsa's mind.

"I should get my gloves before we go," says Elsa as she moves towards the table and grabs her gloves from its surface. Elsa is feeling a little down because she thinks that this revelation is going to change how Kristian has been acting.

As Elsa turns around towards Kristian, Kristian reaches out and grabs a hold of her hand with the gloves. "You can wear them if you want," says Kristian, "but it won't bother me if you don't wear them."

Once again Elsa's face brightens up. She moves towards Kristian and wraps her arm around his. This move surprises Kristian. For a brief period he is motionless, then he reaches up with his free arm and holds onto Elsa's hand that is holding his arm. "I guess this means that I'm your escort to the dinner table then," says Kristian. "Now all I have to do is find the dinner table."

"That won't be a problem," calls Olaf from the library door. "Kristoff and Anna are already heading that way, and I can lead you there myself."

"Thank you Olaf," replies Elsa. "You may lead the way." Olaf heads down the hallway and Elsa then says to Kristian, "Shall we go?"

Kristian and Elsa then head down the hallway following Olaf. Kristian is feeling uneasy as he walks down the hall but he pushes that thought towards the back of his mind. Instead Kristian focuses on Olaf walking ahead of him. However, Elsa is feeling happy until she looks at Kristian. She sees the emotionless expression on his face and Elsa's smile fades. Elsa thinks Kristian is uncomfortable because of the palace and her royal upbringing. As they walk down the hall, Elsa looks at how immaculate everything seems and what her sister has done to make it so.

Olaf turns into the private dinning quarters and Kristian and Elsa follow him in. Once inside, Kristian stops in the middle of the room. He doesn't know what to do next. However, what Elsa sees is that Anna had more royal flags and banners in the room. More lights were in the room as well. The dinning room had always been clean, but now it literally gleamed. On the table, Elsa could see a complete set of formal silverware around each place setting. Just as Kristian and Elsa entered the room, Kristoff pulled out a chair for Anna to sit in.

When seeing all this, Elsa put her free hand up to her face and shook her head in a negative fashion. "Oh Anna," she quietly whispers.

In the meantime, Olaf has moved around to a chair that was opposite of where Anna was sitting and has pulled it out. "Here you go Elsa. You can sit here," says Olaf.

Elsa lets go of Kristian's arm and walks over, and sits down in the chair. "Thank you Olaf," says Elsa politely.

Olaf then goes and pulls out a chair next to Elsa and which was across from Kristoff for Kristian to sit in. "And Kristian, this can be your spot," says Olaf.

"Um thanks," says Kristian as he goes and sits down at the table. Kristian finally takes some time to check out the room and the place settings. The room looks very impressive to him but he is bewildered by all the extravagant work that someone has bothered to go through.

"I see that you are checking out the room," says Anna as she beams with self-satisfaction. "Do you approve of the furnishings and displays?"

"Um sure, everything looks neat and clean," replies Kristian. "I just have one question. How many people are going to be eating off of my plate?"

"I don't understand?" asks a puzzled Anna.

"There is enough silverware here for 6 people. I could get by with just one of these pieces," says Kristian.

"I'm sorry Kristian," replies Elsa. "This was supposed to be an informal affair. My sister, however, decided to turn it into a formal one; right down to the formal dinnerware."

"There is nothing wrong with having a formal dinner Elsa," responds an indignant Anna. "It can be the best way to display such finery to visiting guests."

"It can also be considered showing off," replies a displeased Elsa to Anna's comment. "There was no need to go to the trouble of putting this formal farce together."

"Elsa, you may have been more open this past year but you still like to hide yourself too much," snipes back Anna. "You don't open up and show yourself fully to people. Tonight was to be a night to show yourself in all your glory and yet you are acting like a prude."

"Anna, you know very well why I am reserved in my actions," sternly replies Elsa. Ice begins to form, on the table, under Elsa's hands as she grows angry with her sister. "I must keep myself under control and you can see why! Not to mention, that I am the Queen of Arendelle and I have a kingdom to run! Too many people depend on me, for me to act reckless in my behavior!"

"You use that excuse too much Elsa!" replies Anna. Anna is not backing down from her sister on this occasion. "You have got to let loose more often! The kingdom will not fall apart, just because you are having fun and being silly!"

Kristian and Kristoff are sitting silently in their chairs, listening to the sisters argue with each other. Kristian then leans over the table and asks Kristoff," Are they always like this?"

Kristoff leans on the table and replies, "Naw, you are catching them on a good day."

This exchange between the two men, have caused Elsa and Anna to stop arguing. They begin to listen to the exchange between Kristoff and Kristian.

"A good day?" asks Kristian.

"Ya, normally they act like sweet angels with each other around other people," replies Kristoff. "Now they are acting like normal siblings. So the fact that they are acting like normal people means it is a good day."

Kristoff is smiling at Kristian. This makes Kristian realize that Kristoff was joking around, and Kristian begins to smile as well. Meanwhile Elsa sits there in stunned silence. She cannot believe what Kristoff had just said. Anna is surprised as well but she does not keep silent. "Kristoff!" exclaims Anna loudly as she turns to look at him. Both men begin to laugh out loud as they fall back into their respective chairs. Anna now sits there in stunned silence. Meanwhile, a smile has appeared on Elsa's face as she realizes what Kristoff was doing.

"OK, but seriously people; I have no idea what to do with all of this silverware," says Kristian as he suppresses his laughter.

"Yes of course, you are not use to a formal dinner setting," replies Elsa. "The knife on the right is the main dinner knife. Next to it is the soup spoon. The spoon on the outside is meant to be used for your tea. On the left side you have your salad fork, your dinner fork, and your dessert fork. That's from the outside coming in."

"In reality, you can use whatever utensil that is handy," adds Kristoff. "In this little gathering, manners are nice but not a necessity."

"Honestly, I would say this is just a make work for the servants project," says Kristian.

"That's Anna for you," replies Kristoff in a cheeky mode. "She is a real taskmaster. You should see some of the things that Anna has me doing."

Kristian begins to laugh a little. Anna, however, is not amused and she goes and slaps Kristoff across the arm. "All right, I'll take it back! Your royal highness," says Kristoff as he is laughing. Kristian opens up with laughter as well and even Elsa begins to laugh.

"What is this?" says Anna as she sits back into her chair. She is not amused by what is going on. "Is this pick on Anna night?"

Elsa stops her laughter and in a cheerful tone says, "You are an easy target at the moment, Anna."

Just then a servant and Olaf walk into the room carrying the first course. The servant carries the meal too Anna and Kristoff. Olaf carries the meal to Elsa and Kristian. "Has your evening been going well?" asks Olaf.

"It was a little shaky early on, but I think things will smooth out from here on," replies Elsa.

"Personally, I thought it was amusing," adds Kristian.

Olaf then retreats from the room to help with the second course. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Kristian begin there meal. Anna is angry because she thinks that Elsa and Kristoff have ruined her evening. However, Elsa believes that Kristoff was the one person who has managed to save the dinner from being a big disaster.

As everyone begins to eat, Kristian is the first one to ask a question. "Early today, you said you would tell me the history of Arendelle and yourself," says Kristian as he turns to address Elsa. "I'm mostly interested in your own story. How did you manage to live openly in Arendelle? I would have thought that someone with your abilities would have been driven out of the village."

"To answer that question, I will have to start with my parents," replies Elsa. "My parents were married before my father ascended to the throne. My mother was a princess from a neighboring kingdom. She came to Arendelle with her father during a spring festival. My father was of marrying age and eligible girls from miles around came to the festival. It was my grandfather who decided to bring my mother. She was not at all interested in leaving her home, but my grandfather was not going to inherit the throne so he wanted to make arrangements for the future of his daughter."

"I've heard this story too," interjects Anna. "Our mom met with our dad as our granddad wanted her too, but she was not interested in connecting with him. However, she did think that our father was handsome. Dad felt pretty much the same way mother did. He had already seen over 2 dozen ladies, and he was tired of the whole affair that day. They did have one dance together that night, but dad also danced with nearly all the other young ladies as well."

"Yes, our parents were not having a great time at that spring festival," adds Elsa to the conversation. "Mother left the party in the palace and headed to the water's edge. Our father managed to sneak away from the celebration himself, and he found himself on the same shoreline as our mother. Mother watched him walk up to the water's edge and noticed his relief of getting away from the celebration. Father then noticed our mother."

Now Anna speaks up, "Dad hesitated for a moment. He was looking for some solitude but he knew that he had to be cordial. So he walked up to our mother and they began to talk. He learned of her desire to remain close to her home and how this was her father's idea. Dad felt a little offended that Arendelle was not given enough credit in mother's eye. So he set out to show her the virtues of Arendelle."

"For the next few days, father showed our mother around Arendelle and the surrounding countryside," adds Elsa. "It was during this time together that they fell in love with each other and mother fell in love with Arendelle. Their courtship went through the summer and father proposed on the first day of fall."

"Dad proposed on that day so he could always remember the day," adds Anna. "However, since this was an important royal wedding; it didn't occur until after the next spring festival. Plans had to be made and the fiord waters had to thaw. Our mother's family had to be able to attend and they were coming by ship."

"Mother soon became pregnant with me and in the middle of January of the following year, I was born," says Elsa.

"Our mom said that was one of the harshest Januarys that she could remember," adds Anna. "The winter winds and snow were literally coming into the palace. Our grandfather, our father's dad, allowed many villagers to spend their days and nights in the main hall to get out of the cold. Who knows, maybe it was that winter that gave Elsa her magic."

"That's just speculation," says Elsa. "Anyway, when the next winter came along; that was when our grandfather, the former king of Arendelle, passed away. Our father became king, and in the middle of summer of next year Anna was born."

During the telling of this history, the servants came and took the dirty plates away and brought in the second course. Kristian couldn't help but notice that the fork he was using was also taken away.

"So you are almost 2 years older than your sister," says Kristian as he speaks with Elsa. "How old were you when your magic revealed itself to you or someone else?"

"It is difficult to tell exactly when I first noticed my magic," replies Elsa. "I was growing up with them, so they were a normal occurrence for me. I remember people saying they felt cold in a room, whenever I was around but I did not notice it. However, the first time I remember my powers showing themselves was when I left a frost hand print on my bedroom window in the middle of summer. I was 4 years old at the time. It scared me at first, but Anna saw my hand print and tried to make one herself. She just left a dirty hand print. She asked me to make another, so I did. I made several prints in our room that day. Anna then left her hand prints in the middle of my prints."

Kristian turns to Anna and asks, "Do you remember that day? Where you actually not scared of your sister?"

"I do remember that day," replies Anna. "But I do not remember it like it happened. What I remember is that it was a cool fall day and frost was everywhere. I remember having fun with my sister, but my memory, of my sister's magic, was wiped from my mind. So all the fun things, that I did with my sister concerning her powers; all happened in the winter months for me. The time of year you would expect to find snow and ice."

"Wait, your memory was erased?" asks a puzzled Kristian. "How did that happen? I would have thought that something like Elsa's magic powers would be one of the last things you would have forgotten."

"Elsa can tell you the full story," replies Anna. "But in simplest terms, there was an accident that happened with Elsa's magic and me. It was thought, that for the safety of me and Elsa, that my memory should be erased."

Kristian turns back towards Elsa with a questioning look on his face, but when he saw her looking sad he did not ask his question. He did not need to ask it for Elsa already knew what the question was going to be.

"That accident was a major turning point in my young life," says Elsa sadly. Then her face lights up as she remembers the time before the accident. "Before that I was happy and having a fun time in the palace with my sister. For almost a week after the frost hand prints, my magic powers were my sister's and my secret. Yet with all children, we could not help share exciting events with people we knew. I was lucky that it was our parents that first heard of my powers. I remember them being worried but I also remember their love for me. They told me to keep my powers private and not tell anyone. It was fairly easy for me to do in a palace. It was also fortunate that I could share my magic with my sister."

Elsa then pauses for a moment. Then in a more somber voice Elsa says, "The tragic accident happened, during a night, when Anna couldn't sleep. She woke me up and wanted to play. I eventually relented and we went downstairs. I used my magic and we played in the snow inside the palace. We made the first snowman of Olaf back then. My magic powers were not as strong as they are right now. So back then, the snowman did not come to life. Anna was full of energy and she was pushing my powers to their limits. I was getting scared because I had trouble keeping up with her. I just couldn't make snow fast enough. Then out of panic, I accidentally hit Anna in the head with my powers. My cries of fear were heard by our parents and they hurried to our sides. Anna was unconscious and cold to the touch. My father sought help from the mountain trolls that lived nearby."

This time it was Kristoff that interrupted Elsa's story. "I saw the king and queen riding through the woods that night. I also saw a trail of snow behind one of the horses. It was that snow trail that got me curious. The trolls made me part of their family when I was very young, and I was living with them. I knew where they were heading, because anyone in this part of the forest is always heading for the troll king; and I knew where to find him. I got there just in time to see the whole event go down."

"Yes, our parents sought the troll kings help," continues Elsa. "He was able to remove the damage that I had caused, and warned my parents and me of other people's fears of my magic powers. It was decided that for my safety, and for my sister's safety, that the memory of my powers be removed from Anna. However, the troll king left the memory of the fun that we had."

"Palace life changed for us after that day," interjects Anna. "I remember Elsa moving into a separate room and our contact with each other became much less. We almost never played alone together and Elsa became withdrawn. There were still moments that were enjoyable, but the fun that we had as kids was gone. I so wanted to recapture those happy days with my sister. Never more so, after the day that we found out that our parents died."

With a sad tone Elsa continues the story. "Our parents went on a royal mission to another kingdom. They went by ship and a storm came up and sank the ship. For days I could not control my emotions and my magic was uncontrollable. I had ice and snow literally hanging in the air of my room. I stayed shut in my room for over a week before I ventured out again for only brief moments."

"As isolated as our life was before our parents died, it was even more difficult for the three years up to the day of Elsa's coronation," adds Anna. "Before, our parents kept us entertained and they were our teachers. We may have been isolated, but we were not lonely. Afterwards, Elsa had to become the decision maker of the palace. For me, life in the palace became very lonely. I was actually very excited when the day of Elsa's coronation came last year. It meant that the palace was going to be opened to the public for the first time in years. I wanted that excitement. It was going to be the first party that I was going to attend where other people would be there. I enjoyed that day, up until the evening when Elsa's magic was revealed."

Elsa continues with the story. "My parents kept me safe before they passed away. Then I was left alone with my secret and the sole responsibility of protecting myself and others from my powers. I dreaded the day of my coronation. To ascend to the throne, I had to go through the ceremony. It wasn't easy for me, but I made it through that event. Everything else was going smoothly, until that evening when I got into a fight with Anna."

"That fight was mostly my fault," interjects Anna. "I wanted so much to experience the world that I tried to do it all in one day. I made a bad decision and Elsa tried to correct it. However, I did not want to go back to being isolated in the palace anymore. So I fought with Elsa in front of everyone and her magic powers came out."

"For me, my worst fears were being realized," adds Elsa. "I saw the fear in people's eyes and I heard the Duke of Weselton making demands of actions against me."

"The Duke of Weselton was at your coronation?" asks Kristian.

"My coronation was a big event for Arendelle," replies Elsa. "And Weselton was a large trading partner of Arendelle. So of course the King of Weselton would have sent a representative. He was also responsible for one attempt on my life."

"Since you are here, it must have failed," interrupts Kristian.

"Yes, his fear got the better of him," replies Elsa. "I was scared and my powers got out of control. I put all of Arendelle into a winter in the middle of summer. The Duke wanted to return summer and he thought by killing me it would stop the winter. I was afraid of people's fears, so I fled to the high mountains. There I thought that I would be safe."

"Down in Arendelle, people were beginning to panic," says Anna as she continues the story. "The Duke was becoming a problem and not helping matters. So I set out to find Elsa to try and bring summer back. During my journey, I ran into Kristoff. Together we found Elsa, but it didn't turn out like I wanted it to. Elsa sent Kristoff and me away, but not before she accidentally hit me with her magic powers again."

"Later, I was capture by men from Arendelle," says Elsa. "I almost died too at the hands of the Duke's bodyguards during that capture. I later woke in a jail cell in the palace, and for the first time I saw the problem my powers had caused. I managed to escaped the jail cell and was hoping to get away from Arendelle to stop all the problems I had created. However, I was found before I got too far, and was told that I had killed Anna. Of all my fears, that one was the worst one. I never wanted to hurt my sister; and when I found out that I had, life no longer had any meaning."

"Now I wasn't dead yet," interjects Anna. "Elsa had put ice in my heart but I was still moving. I saw Elsa totally broken from the news, and I saw her about to be executed. I went to her side and stopped the fatal blow before I was completely frozen. It was that act of love that brought me back to life from my frozen state."

"It was that act of love that allowed me to figure out how to reverse the winter that I had caused. Everyone in the village saw both this act of me reversing the winter and Anna's act of love. These two acts together won the village over. It has not yet been a year but so far things have gone very well for me in Arendelle."

Everyone at the table sat quietly for a moment as Kristian digested the tale. Finally Kristian speaks. "Anna never gave up on you did she," says Kristian as he addresses Elsa.

"Of course I didn't," replies Anna "Elsa was the only family that I had left, and I loved her dearly. Knowing about her magic has just made things easier for everyone. Now the whole village has adapted to her abilities, and we all try and act accordingly around her."

"Living with my abilities has been a lot more fun as well," adds Elsa. "I now can use my magic more openly and have had more practice in using them."


	5. Chapter 5

While everyone was talking at the dinner table, the servants came in again and removed the dirty dishes. Again Kristian notices that the silverware that he had been using was removed. "I now know why you place so much hardware around these plates," says Kristian with amusement. "Your servants keep on taking them. They must take a lot of stuff away from the palace."

"There's no doubt about that," replies Kristoff with a smile on his face. "When you work for the palace there are many things that you can take away. You should see what I have managed to take."

"Oh really, so what have you taken away from the palace?" amusingly asks Elsa. To Elsa, Kristoff had saved her evening. Now she knows that Kristoff was about to make some kind of silly comment. Elsa knew that her life story may have been interesting, but it was intense. Someone needed to make it more of a fun affair and Kristoff could possibly do that.

Kristoff turns to Elsa and then with a smile, he turns and looks at Anna. "A kiss from a beautiful princess," says Kristoff in a soft comforting tone.

Anna looks at Kristoff and a smile shows up on her face. Earlier in the meal she was cross with Kristoff because of his antics. Anna had settled down while Elsa's story was being told but she was still unhappy. Now Kristoff had found a way to amend his earlier verbal jests. "You're just lucky that I like you," says a smiling Anna. "Otherwise, you might have found yourself outside this palace."

"I know that I can get on your bad side from time to time," apologies Kristoff as he stretches his hand out to Anna. "So I thought that I would try and correct the last gaff that I did. Am I doing OK?"

Anna reaches out and places her hand on Kristoff's hand. With a smile, she replies, "You're not doing too badly at the moment. However, you still got a long way to go if you're going to get back in my good graces."

Kristoff shifts his chair closer to Anna's chair. Kristoff pulls Anna's hand off the table and holds it with both hands. "I may not be the clean cut debonair royal prince that you want, but I do love you."

Anna reaches her other hand out and lays it on top of Kristoff's hands. "No, you are not a prince. You are more of the backwoods commoner type," replies Anna in jest. "Yet, you have gotten a hold of my heart, and now you're doing better at getting on my good side."

"I can't give you anything that you can't obtain for yourself," continues Kristoff. "All that I can give you is a promise. A promise that I will do the best that I can, and I hope that my best is enough to keep you happy.

Anna is beaming with joy now. Kristoff looks splendid in his clothes and now he is saying just about everything right. "Your best is better than any prince that I have seen," says Anna. "They put on facades. You have been as genuine as anyone that I have met. So what you say means more to me than what any prince would ever say."

"Really?" asks Kristoff as his warped sense of humor emerges again. "What I am wearing right now is not exactly what I would call my normal attire."

Anna lets out a slight giggle and says, "No it's not, but you don't put on false pretenses; for that alone, you make up for any short comings that you have over any prince."

Kristian and Elsa have been sitting there listening to the 2 love birds banter back and forth. Kristoff and Anna have nearly forgotten that the other two were still in the room.

Kristian is feeling out of place sitting at the table. So he leans in on Elsa and suggests, "Maybe we should leave these two alone and go somewhere else."

Elsa turns and smiles at Kristian. She replies, "Yes, let's move to some other room. When they get like this, it can feel pretty awkward."

Elsa stands up quietly and heads out of the room. She is followed out of the room by Kristian. Meanwhile, Anna and Kristoff haven't even notice them leave the room. However, Olaf has and he chases after them into the hallway.

"Hey, Elsa and Kristian!" calls out Olaf as he enters the hallway. "You're forgetting about Anna and Kristoff."

"No, we are not forgetting about them," replies Elsa as she turns around to face Olaf. "We just thought that they could use some alone time together."

"Alright then, I'll come along with you," replies Olaf.

Elsa really didn't want Olaf to tag along, but she didn't want to tell him that he couldn't come. Kristian noticed the frown on Elsa's face, so he speaks up. "That's alright Olaf. You can stay and take care of Kristoff and Anna."

Olaf stops and looks at Kristian and asks, "Are you sure you don't need me to run interference for you?"

"The biggest part of the evening is over," replies Kristian. "If something happens, I should be able to manage it."

"OK then, I'll see both of you sometime later," says Olaf as he waves goodbye and heads back into the dining room.

"Interference?" asks a puzzled Elsa.

"Um, ya," replies Kristian. Olaf has managed to make Kristian uncomfortable about answering this question of Elsa's. "I never really wanted to come to this dinner and Olaf knew about it. To encourage me to come, he offered to act as some interference for me."

Elsa is feeling down again after hearing this. So she inquires this time about Kristian's reluctance. "Is it because of my magic that you didn't want to come?" Elsa asks.

Kristian is surprised again by Elsa's question. Kristian had not thought about Elsa's position on this whole dinner evening. "Your magic had very little to do with my reluctance to come here tonight," replies Kristian. "In fact, my curiosity about your magic is what helped convince me to come."

Now Elsa has become really curious about Kristian's reluctance. Since what Elsa thought were Kristian's reasons were apparently not his real reasons after all. "So why did you not want to come here?" she asks.

Kristian stands there. He is not sure how to respond. Kristian just stands there looking into Elsa's questioning face. Finally, with some hesitation he begins to speak. "The truth is I have some secrets that I want to keep," replies Kristian as he tries to evade direct answers.

"And you were afraid that these secrets would come out during the dinner," interjects Elsa. Her mood has improved again.

"Yes," replies Kristian. "There are things that I desperately don't want others to know; and since I am not going to be here long, I thought there was no reason to associate with anyone."

"I know what keeping a secret is like," says Elsa as she tries to reassure Kristian. "It can work for a short while, but eventually keeping a secret becomes a great burden to bear. You can over stress yourself as you try and keep it from others. Once the secret of my abilities came out, my life has become much simpler. It has also been a very freeing experience for me."

"I only need to keep mine for a short while, Elsa," replies Kristian. "I will not be here in Arendelle for long."

Once again Elsa's mood drops, but not as low as when she thought that her magic was the source of Kristian's reluctance. "Yesterday, you mentioned that you are here on business. Has your business been finished here in Arendelle?" asks Elsa.

Kristian again hesitates as he thinks of what to say. Then he replies, "No, not yet. It apparently is going to take a few days to get the business done. Something that was only going to take a day is going to last a while."

Elsa smiles again as she turns and begins to walk down the hall. "While you are here then, I might as well show you around the palace and Arendelle," says Elsa.

Kristian follows after her. "You can't show me everything tonight," replies Kristian as he is confused by Elsa's suggestion. "There isn't much time left in the day."

"Oh, I didn't mean that I would be showing you all of it tonight," replies Elsa with a lint in her voice. "I can show some of it to you tomorrow."

"Wait, what?" stammers Kristian as he stops in the hallway.

Elsa reaches back and wraps her arm around Kristian's arm. Then Elsa pulls Kristian down the hallway with her. "I'm sure you won't be too busy to go on a little sightseeing tour tomorrow," lightly says Elsa. "Tonight we can view some of the palace before you leave."

Kristian has been thrown for a loop. Kristian's mind is spinning and he doesn't know what to make of what is happening. Kristian relents to Elsa's leadership, and he lets her lead him down the hall. Eventually, Elsa takes Kristian to the part of the palace where many portraits are hanging.

"I thought we could start here in the palace," says Elsa as she beams with satisfaction. "The portraits here represent the royal family and my ancestors. It is a visual representation of my family's history."

Elsa allows Kristian to browse through the paintings at his leisure. As Kristian looks over the paintings, Elsa tells Kristian who each of the people are in the paintings and their relationship to her. Soon Kristian stops at one of the larger paintings. "I recognize these two from the ice sculptures yesterday," says Kristian. "Are they your parents?"

"Yes, they are my parents," replies Elsa. "This was their official portrait that welcomed visiting guests. Next to them you can see a few smaller paintings that show Anna and me."

Kristian then checks out these smaller paintings. One is of both girls at a young age. Another 2 paintings show the girls individually at an older age. A third painting shows the entire royal family. "I noticed that you are wearing gloves in the last 2 paintings here but not in the painting of you as a child," points out Kristian.

"I didn't start wearing gloves until I got older," replies Elsa. "Early on, my magic did not reveal itself easily. As I got older, I had problems keeping them from showing up. The gloves were my parents' idea, and they have worked well in helping me to keep my magic powers in check. My parents had always done their best at trying to help me conceal my powers."

"You were lucky to have such loving parents," says Kristian. "Not everyone has the kind of luck you did growing up."

Now Elsa has become curious. Elsa has been talking about her family this whole evening, and this is the first possible hint that she has heard of Kristian's family. "Did you not have a happy childhood?" asks Elsa.

Kristian stands silently in the hall. He keeps looking at the family portrait of Elsa, Anna, and her parents. As Kristian stands there, he is pondering the best way to answer Elsa's question. Elsa finally speaks up, "If this is one of the secrets you want to keep, you don't have to tell me. We can always move onto another subject." In reality Elsa does want to know, but she does not want to end her association with Kristian just yet.

"Most of it I do not need to keep a secret, Elsa," replies Kristian. Then after a slight pause he continues. "I don't remember much of my early childhood. I know that I lived in a big house with my parents and an older sister. Then some trouble came to my home and I had to leave it."

"What kind of trouble was it?" asks Elsa.

"I was too young to understand what the trouble was all about," replies Kristian.

This was only partly true. Yes Kristian was too young, at the time, to understand what the trouble really was. However, when he was older Kristian did know. Like Elsa, Kristian's magic did not show up as a young child. Yet, as Kristian got older, his magic powers did show up. Kristian's powers showed up during a family party. His aunts and uncles were attending and they had brought their children along. Like most boys, Kristian was rough housing with his cousins. Things got a little rough and a little flame came from Kristian's hand. This flame singed one of his cousin's hair in front of everyone. The small flame still flickered off of Kristian's hand as everyone else was aghast at what had just occurred. Out of fear, Kristian's father ran over to his son and put the fire out. To everyone's amazement, Kristian was not hurt by the fire. As Kristian stood there, he was puzzled by everyone's reaction. Kristian was too young to understand that this was not a normal thing. Everyone in the room had seen what had happened, and they were afraid. Soon the adults began to argue among themselves and the children went to another room. Kristian was left in a separate room by himself.

"My mother took me away to keep me safe," continues Kristian. "She took us into the back country where there were few people around. We often had to move from village to village for a few years, until we came across a house in the mountains."

Kristian and his mother would have to keep moving from one village to another, because Kristian could not control his magic powers. Kristian's magic would eventually come out. His mother would then pack things up and then head out into the countryside before the villagers rose up against them. During winter treks, Kristian could keep his mother warm by warming the air that surrounds them both. On their last journey, they traveled through the high mountains to avoid running into people. The mountain winds were blowing hard and Kristian was barely keeping the cold at bay for his mother. The cold was getting through and they sought for shelter on a mountain plateau. They came across a stone house and as they approached it, Goran stepped out of the door. Kristian was flaming the best that he could to try and keep his mother warm and Goran saw this. Kristian's mother saw Goran and told Kristian that they must leave quickly. As they were moving away from the house, a fire ball struck the ground in their path. As Kristian's mother turns, holding her son whose flame is barely lit in the winds, she sees Goran standing in the house doorway holding another fireball in his hand. Goran tosses the ball off to the side and motions them to come into the house. Kristian's mother stands still for a moment but the cold pushes her to go into the house.

"Was the house an abandon one?" asks Elsa.

"No, there was a man named Goran living there," replies Kristian. "He is a rough mountain man and he doesn't like people. He allowed my mother and me to live with him. When the weather permitted, a house was constructed for us to live in."

"You were fortunate to find a caring individual who was willing to take you in," says Elsa. "At least you and your mother found a place to live."

"I would not call Goran a caring man," replies Kristian. "He is gruff and often angry. As for a place to live, it was a difficult life on the mountain; but it was peaceful, for a few years anyway."

"Something happened to ruin the peace?" asks Elsa.

"When I was about 12 years old, the trouble that had sent my mother and me away came to the mountain," replies Kristian.

A man had showed up looking for Kristian and his mother. He rode into the compound on a horse, with the collar of his jacket pulled up to protect his neck from the wind. Kristian was out fishing in a river lower down on the mountain and Goran was out hunting. The man had found Kristian's mother in the house that Kristian and his mother were living in.

Later, that man was hunting for Kristian down by the river. Kristian had just finished picking up his pole and his catch for the day when the man saw him and called out Kristian's name. Kristian looked and saw this man calling to him. This man was a fair distance away from Kristian. Kristian became scared when he saw this man, and Kristian ran back to his house. The man called Kristian's name two more times, each time louder than the first. Goran, who was close by, heard these calls and went to investigate.

When Kristian got back to his home, he did not find his mother there. Kristian looked for his mother around the house but found no trace of her. A little later, Goran came walking back to the compound.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but Goran told me that he had stopped a man who was going to do me harm," says Kristian. "However, my mother had died in the fight. Since then Goran has raised me by himself."

"And you have lived up in the mountains ever since?" inquires Elsa.

"For the most part," replies Kristian. "There are the occasional trips to a local village for supplies, and rare trips like this one."

"You said this is a business trip. Are you here alone or did Goran come with you?" asks Elsa.

Kristian pauses for a moment as he thinks of an appropriate answer. Then he says, "Goran came on this trip but he prefers the isolation of the countryside. He is out there handling his end of business, while I take care of things here in Arendelle. I really don't have much to do until Goran gets done with his work."

Elsa smiles and says, "So you will be free tomorrow. Then I will make plans on showing you around Arendelle."

Kristoff turns towards Elsa and is about to try and make an excuse to get out of going, when Elsa speaks up. "Now let's not go through this again," Elsa says with a smile. "You can't let your past prevent you from enjoying life. Goran may have taught you how to survive in the wilderness, but he does not know everything. Everyone is trying to get through life the best that they can and having friends can make that journey easier. If you will permit it, I can be a friend of yours here in Arendelle."

Kristian looks into Elsa's eyes and can see the warmth of her spirit coming out of her. Kristian then drops his head and closes his eyes. He has committed himself to the demise of Elsa and Elsa has just made Kristian's job a lot harder. "How can someone, who has the power of the cold, be so warm and giving," thinks Kristian.

Elsa watches Kristian as he hangs his head. She is puzzled by his reaction. Out in the village square, Kristian showed more fear than anything else. Here Kristian is showing some kind of regret or sorrow. Elsa wonders if there is something in Kristian's past that he has not mentioned yet. Elsa knows that Kristian is keeping a secret that he does not want to reveal, but she does not want to pry into this secret. Elsa just wants to spend time with a man who seems to have no fear of her abilities. So Elsa stands quietly watching Kristian, waiting for him to make the next move.

Finally Kristian lifts his head, and with an almost emotionless response replies, "OK, I guess I can tour with you tomorrow." Kristian has decided that since his job here is to keep an eye on Elsa, he could easily do that by hanging out with her.

Elsa smiles brightly. "I'm glad you said yes," says Elsa. "Now I hope to see you tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I will have to send out Olaf to go fetch you."

"If nothing comes up, I should be here tomorrow," replies Kristian with a slight smile. For some reason, Kristian has gotten to like Olaf.

"With that settled, let's continue the tour of the palace," says Elsa.

Elsa holds out her bare hand to Kristian, and Kristian takes a hold of it after first looking at Elsa's out stretched hand. Elsa is enjoying this adventure tonight. She considers this her first casual date and Elsa just wants to savor every moment. Maybe it won't last, Elsa thinks, but it will be a memory that she hopes will never be forgotten.

However, Kristian is torn by tonight's escapade. Elsa has been warm and kind to him. This is something that Kristian has not felt from another person since his mother. Now Kristian is holding Elsa's hand and walking alongside her. As they walk, Elsa explains the various rooms and artworks that they pass along their way. Kristian finds it very gratifying walking alongside Elsa. Yet a feeling of regret enters his mind as Kristian knows what Goran is planning to do. Not to mention the fear that Kristian has if Elsa finds out about his own magic powers. After all, in Kristian's mind, how can fire and ice coexist? They are natural enemies and one must eliminate the other eventually.

* * *

><p>In the private dining hall of the royal family, Anna and Kristoff have realized that Elsa and Kristian have left the room. Anna is the first one to speak. "Elsa?!" exclaims Anna with a little concern. "Where has she gone to? Kristoff did you see where Elsa went?"<p>

"No, I don't remember seeing her leave," replies Kristoff. "My mind was preoccupied with something else," he says with a smile. "What is the big deal anyway?"

"It's nothing really," says Anna trying to convince herself that nothing is the matter. "It's just that after the veiled threat that the Duke of Weselton made yesterday, I don't like not knowing where Elsa is."

"I'm sure she is fine Anna," replies Kristoff. "Elsa is capable of taking care of herself. I'm sure that she and Kristian have just gone to check out the palace together."

Anna stands up and begins to move to the door when she sees Olaf. "Olaf do you know where Kristian and Elsa are?" she asks.

"Sure, they have gone to walk around the palace," replies Olaf. "They thought that you two could spend some time together alone."

"Why didn't you go with them?" asks Anna.

"I offered to go but Kristian said that he would be OK alone with Elsa," replies Olaf.

"Can you show me which way they went, Olaf?" asks Anna.

"Sure I can," replies Olaf. "Just follow me."

Kristoff then stands up and calls after Anna. "Anna wait, why not let them be alone together? They seem to get along just fine."

Anna turns around and with some concern on her face, she says, "We don't know anything about Kristian, and I want to make sure that Elsa is safe. So are you going to help me find them or not?"

Kristoff moves towards Anna and replies, "Alright Anna, we can go look for them; but I thing you are over reacting to the situation."

"Maybe I am over reacting, but I rather be safe than to have anything happen to Elsa," replies Anna as she follows Olaf out the door, and Kristoff is right behind her.

Olaf leads them in the direction that Kristian and Elsa went. However, when they reach the area that the pair had been, Elsa and Kristian had moved on. "Olaf, are you sure this was the direction they were heading in?" asks Anna.

"Of course I'm sure," replies Olaf. "But it has been awhile since they came this way. They most likely have moved on."

"What do you mean awhile?" asks a concern Anna. "They should have only left a few moments ago."

"It's more like several moments ago," replies Olaf. "You were enjoying your time with Kristoff. So I didn't think it was worth interrupting you two about Kristian and Elsa's leaving."

Anna looks over to Kristoff in puzzlement. Kristoff responds to this by saying, "We were really into each other at the dinner table. So it is possible that time flew by faster than either one of us would have cared for."

Anna is feeling real uneasy about not finding Elsa. "If they are not here then Elsa must be showing Kristian the rest of the palace," says Anna. "Come on, we have to find Elsa."

Olaf cheerfully heads off with Anna to begin the search of the palace. However, Kristoff thinks that there is no real danger; and that this search is not necessary. Yet he reluctantly follows Anna, since trying to reason with her would be a pointless effort. When Anna sets her mind to something, it is difficult to change her thinking.

For the next hour, it is a search of near misses. Just as Elsa and Kristian leave a room; Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff enter. Also sometimes just as the trio leave a room, Kristian and Elsa enter. As the search is unproductive, Anna suggests that they split up and search. They do cover more area, but by this time Elsa has taken Kristian out of the palace.

The sun is low on the horizon and the light of the sun is partly blocked by the mountains at the mouth of the fiord. Yet the sun light shines across the waters of the fiord and light up the mountainside on the opposite bank. Elsa has taken Kristian to the bank of the palace island to watch the sunset. Elsa stands close to the bank, watching the sunlight on the water. While Kristian stands behind her and just looks at Elsa's back.

"This time of year always produces some of the best sunsets of the year," says Elsa. "This one is pretty good." Elsa turns towards Kristian and asks, "Don't you think so?"

Kristian finally focuses on the sunset and replies, "Yes, this sunset is sure something. I've seen some pretty spectacular ones up on my mountain home as well. Sometimes the shadows will dance on the mountain as the sun sets. It gives it almost a mystical feeling. Sometimes I can almost believe, that the mountain fairies are out there. I like to think that they keeping an eye on all things that belong on the mountain."

Elsa turns back towards the light of the sun and says, "I know what you mean. Some of the sunsets here make me feel the same way. When I was younger, I would hope that those mystical beings would relieve me of the burden of my magic. In a way they have answered my prayer. I still have my magic, but I no longer have the burden of keeping my magic a secret."

Kristian moves up alongside Elsa and starts to check out the scenery. Elsa turns her head towards Kristian and smiles. Then Elsa goes back to watching the sunset. After a moment Kristian speaks up. "You must have really enjoyed this last year. Since you no longer had to keep your abilities a secret."

"Yes, the past few months have been wonderful," replies Elsa. "I have mingled with others from the village and I have connected with my sister on a deeper leave than I did in the past. It has also been a joy to share my abilities with others in a much more fun way." After a short pause Elsa then asks Kristian, "So do you like to ice skate?"

"I never have skated," replies Kristian.

"I could teach you," responds a smiling Elsa. Kristian is puzzled by Elsa suggestion; and just before the question is asked, Elsa steps out onto the water and it freezes under her feet. Kristian comes to the realization that Elsa could have done this at any moment. Kristian's reaction was not one of surprise but one of stupidity on his part. Elsa notices this, and she finds Kristian's reaction humorous.

While Elsa begins to slide around on the ice, Kristian stands on the edge of the shore. Shortly, Elsa comes up to Kristian and says, "Come on, I can hold you up on the ice."

Kristian stands there for a while and finally he steps out onto the ice and quickly grabs a hold of Elsa's out stretched hand. Neither of them is wearing gloves and Elsa is delighted. All Kristian can think of is trying not to fall down. Elsa places her arm around Kristian's back to stabilize him and Kristian drapes his arm over Elsa's shoulder and holds onto her side. They skate like this until the last rays of light diminish in the sky and the stars begin to come out. With limited light to see by, the pair of them step off of the ice and sit down on a nearby rock.

"Too bad there wasn't a lot of light left in the day," says Elsa. "I could have spent hours out on the ice."

"Maybe you could have, but I was beginning to feel a little tired out there," replies Kristian. "It took a lot of energy to stay up right."

With a smile Elsa replies, "It can be difficult for beginners to skate, but with practice it will become easier."

"Well, at least the setting sun got us off the ice," replies a relieved Kristian. "Now I don't have to concentrate on my skating."

Elsa has mixed emotions about the skating session ending. On one hand, she was close to Kristian and having a fun time. On the other hand, Kristian was so focused on his skating that he barely seems to focus on her at all. Now Elsa is looking at Kristian's face and she sees him looking out into the distance. Elsa turns and looks at the water, wondering what she should do next. Then she hears Kristian speak up.

"It looks like a good night for the stars to be out," says Kristian.

Elsa looks up and sees the sky full of stars. She then replies, "Yes, it certainly is going to be a gorgeous night. There is a place on the bridge that will be a great spot to view the stars, if you feel rested enough to go."

Kristian gets up and offers his hand to Elsa to help her up. Elsa gladly accepts the help. "I may be a little tired, but I have enough energy to go for a short walk," says Kristian.

Elsa leads the way and Kristian follows her to a spot in the middle of the palace bridge. Here they lean on the stone arm rail to look at the stars.

* * *

><p>Back in the palace, the search has lead up into the guest quarters and the private quarters of the royal family. Anna has become agitated by the fact that they have not found Elsa. Kristoff is beginning to feel uneasy about the situation as well. Finally Anna and Kristoff meet each other in the hallway after they each had checked separate rooms.<p>

"I don't like this at all," says Anna as she approaches Kristoff. "Elsa should be in the palace somewhere, unless something bad has happen to her."

"There is no need for concern just yet, Anna," replies Kristoff trying to calm Anna down. "The sun has only just set. We can wait a little while longer before we have to alert anyone of Elsa's disappearance."

"If something has happened to Elsa, it will be too late to notify anyone," responds Anna.

Then Olaf calls out from one of the rooms. "It looks like something has happened to Elsa!"

Anna and Kristoff come running into the room, but all they see is Olaf standing at the window. Olaf was looking out the window, down towards the ground. "Olaf!" exclaims Anna. "You said that something has happened to Elsa. Where is she?"

Olaf turns towards Anna and points out the window, and he says, "It sure looks like something serious."

Anna and Kristoff run to the window. It is dark out and only a few street lanterns provide any light. As their eyes become adjusted to the dim light, they see two figures standing on the bridge.

"Elsa," quietly says Anna. Anna then turns and runs out the door. Anna just wants to make sure that Elsa is OK.

Kristoff turns towards Olaf and asks, "I thought you said that something has happened to Elsa?"

"Well, romance is a very serious thing," replies Olaf. "And it looks like the two of them might be making a fair attempt at it."


	6. Chapter 6

Out on the bridge, Kristian and Elsa are star gazing. Both of them are leaning on the stone side rails of the bridge, when Elsa speaks up. "I always like this spot for looking at the stars," says Elsa. "When the water is calm, you can even see the stars reflecting in the surface of the water."

"I can see why you like this spot," adds Kristian. "It's not far from your home and yet it's safe. The reflecting water also gives you a unique perspective of the stars."

"Yes, when Anna and I were kids, our parents would take us out her sometimes and would tell us the stories that the stars were telling," says Elsa. Elsa then points to one of the stars in the sky. "That blue star over there, my parents said that was my star; and that red one close to it was my sister's. My parents said that as long as those two stars shone, my sister and I would never be separated."

"That is a nice sentiment," says Kristian. Then Kristian drops his head. Elsa notices this, and she turns to look at Kristian. She has not known him long, but Elsa has learned to recognize this look of regret. "It's unfortunate that such sentiment is nothing but false promises," continues Kristian.

Kristian has had a difficult upbringing. First Kristian lost his father and sister when he had to leave his home. For a few years after that, Kristian had to move from place to place because of his magic powers. Finally, Kristian lost his mother and lived alone with Goran. Goran was not a caring individual, but Kristian felt that it was thanks to Goran that he managed to survive to adulthood. Listening to Elsa speak about her sister has made Kristian think about his own family. Kristian's mother had made similar promises to him; but in the end, even she could not keep those promises.

Kristian was looking down at his hands, and his hands were on the stone rail. Kristian's sadness for his life and the resentment of Elsa's life has caused him to lose control of his magic powers. Kristian notices a small flame develop under his palms as they rest on the stone rail. Elsa did not noticed theses flames because she was looking at Kristian's face. Kristian smothers one of the flames by clenching his fist, but before he can do this with the other hand Elsa surprises him. Elsa reaches down and grasps this hand with her own. Kristian is shocked by this because he thinks now Elsa will discover his magic powers. Kristian looks up at Elsa; but before he can react, Kristian feels a soothing sensation on his hand. Kristian then looks back down at his hand that Elsa is holding. The flame had actually gone out on that hand. Just like what happened earlier that morning, when Elsa grabbed the hot tea kettle, her magic has cooled the flame on Kristian's hand and put it out without Elsa even knowing about it.

"What little I know about your life, I do know you had a tough life," says Elsa trying to comfort Kristian. "It is also true that there is no guarantee that I will always have my sister with me. Yet in some ways, she will always be with me in my heart. It is a very comforting thought to have, especially in times when you have nothing else to hold on to."

Kristian looks up at Elsa and notices the sympathetic look on her face. However with a tone of hostility, Kristian asks, "Why are you doing this?"

Elsa is taken aback by his tone. She pulls her hand away from Kristian's and takes a slight step back. With confusion Elsa replies, "I was just trying to ease your mind. You appeared to be upset about something."

"I understand that much," replies a stern Kristian. His tone has eased but it still is not a friendly one. "What I don't get is why are you spending all this time with me?"

Elsa stands there, just looking at Kristian's stern face. Finally she says, "This night came about because of my sister. Anna knew that I was feeling sad about seeing her and Kristoff together when I had no one."

"I was supposed to be a date for you?" asks Kristian in an unfriendly tone. "Why in the world did Anna choose me?"

Elsa replies, "It was because of what happened last night in the palace. Anna and I caught you in the palace with Olaf. Normally, I wouldn't have thought too much of our first meeting. However, when you pushed past the two of us you startled me."

"I startled you?" questions Kristian.

"When you pushed pass me, you placed your hand on my bare arm without a second thought," replies Elsa. "Only Anna would have done something like that and I told her what you had done. Anna put it on herself to make tonight happen. I didn't object to the idea because, since my magic powers have come out, I haven't seen anyone show any interest in me."

"Neither of you know me at all!" responds Kristian with a tone of anger. Kristian's tone is a hostile one. Because at this moment, Kristian is trying to create distance between Elsa and himself. "You were foolish to take a stranger into your home."

"That was what this night was supposed to be about," counters Elsa. She doesn't know why Kristian has decided to become agitated with her. "We were going to find out what kind of person you are. For most of the night, I thought it had gone well."

"Elsa, I have been trying to make it clear to you that I was not going to be hanging around Arendelle!" says Kristian with determination. "And it is almost certain that I will never be returning here after I leave! So you are wasting your time with me!"

Elsa begins to tear up and places her hand on the stone rail of the bridge. As she touches the bridge, ice forms on the rail and it moves down onto the water causing a section of it to freeze. Elsa is shocked by what she had just done, and Elsa runs past Kristian towards the palace with tears running down her face.

Anna has just reached the bridge as Elsa comes running towards the palace. "Elsa what's wrong?" she asks as Elsa approaches.

Elsa does not respond but keeps running towards the palace. Anna can see that Elsa is crying and there is a trail of snow being left behind her as she runs. Anna turns back towards Kristian who has begun to walk towards the village. Anna calls out to him. "What did you do to upset my sister?" Kristian stops and turns towards Anna, while Anna walks towards Kristian with determination on her face.

"I set her straight on what see can expect from me," says Kristian coldly. "This whole dinner date was a bad idea. I'm not what either one of you wants or expects."

"What our expectations are don't matter!" replies Anna in a huff. "There is such a thing as manners and being polite! You have just shown neither to Elsa and your presence here is no longer welcomed!"

"I was planning on leaving," replies Kristian. "And I wasn't planning on coming back." Kristian turns, to walk away, but Anna grabs his arm to stop him.

"I'm not done with you yet," says Anna sternly.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Elsa has entered the palace and she passes Kristoff and Olaf on the stairs. "Hey Elsa!" calls out Olaf. "Are you OK?"<p>

Elsa does not respond and she continues to head to her room. Moments later, Kristoff and Olaf hear Elsa's door slam. Once in her room, Elsa quickly moves to her bed; and she falls on her bed and cries. With tears falling on her pillow, the room begins to show snow and ice everywhere.

"I think Elsa is upset," says Olaf.

"That is an understatement, Olaf," replies Kristoff. "She is definitely upset. The question is what was it that made her like this?"

"Why don't we just go and ask her?" says Olaf as he heads up the stairs.

"Olaf wait!" calls out Kristoff. "You just can't walk in and ask someone to share their problems."

"Why not?" asks Olaf. "I walk in on people all the time. They always light up when I show up."

"Well ya, but you're a snowman," replies Kristoff. "You cheer everyone up with just your presences."

"That's more reason for me to go to Elsa," says Olaf. "You, however, should catch up with Anna. Knowing her, she is probably confronting the problem that has upset Elsa."

Kristoff looks down the stairs and replies to Olaf, "You're right. Anna is probably getting herself into trouble right now." He then turns back towards Olaf and continues. "Alright then, you go take care of Elsa while I go handle Anna." With that Kristoff heads down the stairs.

"Good luck!" calls out Olaf to Kristoff. "You're going to need it with Anna!"

* * *

><p>Outside on the bridge, Anna is giving Kristian a verbal lashing. "Elsa and I have gone through a lot of trouble to arrange this dinner. Even if things were not what you would have liked, it would have been good to show some appreciation for the effort."<p>

"Appreciation," coldly replies Kristian. "You and your sister were trying to coral me into a relationship with Elsa. That I cannot accept. The attempt had to be ended before it went any further. I did Elsa a favor by ending it now."

Kristian begins to walk away from Anna, but Anna moves in front of him and blocks his path. "You think making my sister cry is doing her a favor!" snipes back Anna. "You have no respect for how Elsa feels! She has had to live nearly all her life being alone! We were trying to open up a new area for her to explore in social settings, and you have gone and smashed her hopes! Because of you, she will most likely go back into her isolation!"

Kristian feels sorry for Elsa, but he also believes that what he has done is for the best of both of them. He cannot afford to like Elsa if he is going to participate in her demise, and Elsa needs to hate him for her own sake.

"Elsa has done well enough for herself before I showed up," says Kristian. "And you're not giving your sister enough credit. One bad night will not cause her permanent harm. Elsa will recover soon enough and then you both can snare the next poor guy who walks into the palace."

Kristian moves around Anna to try and continue down the bridge, but once again Anna grabs his arm and stops him. This move angers Kristian. Kristian just wants to get away from the palace and Anna is not letting him. Kristian's anger causes his free hand to flame up. Kristian quickly notices the flame and smothers it against his leg. However Anna doesn't notice this because she is looking at Kristian's face.

"You think we are doing this as some kind of game!" angrily says Anna. "Elsa deserves to have everything that any other woman wants to have, and I am not going to let you or any other arrogant male prevent her from trying to obtain that!"

Just then Kristoff comes onto the bridge. He calls out to Anna. "Anna, will you hold up for a minute!"

Anna and Kristian turn their heads to look at Kristoff as he runs towards them. As Kristoff nears, Kristian jerks his arm free of Anna's grasp and proceeds to walk down the bridge. Anna was about to go after him when Kristoff grabs a hold of her shoulder.

"Hold it Anna," says Kristoff. "Just let him go."

Anna turns towards Kristoff and says, "But he needs to be taught a lesson about hurting Elsa!"

"I'm sure you have already given him a lot to think about," replies Kristoff. "Besides, what do you expect him to do, after you're done lecturing him?"

"I - don't know," replies Anna. "I just want Elsa to be happy again and he has upset her."

"Chastising Kristian will not make Elsa happy," replies Kristoff. "What she really needs is someone to comfort her. Right now Olaf is trying to accomplish that."

Anna looks back at the palace and the area where Elsa's room is. She can see the light on in Elsa's room, but she cannot see any movement in the room. Anna then looks back at Kristoff.

"I'm sorry that the dinner had to end like this," apologizes Anna. "It had not gone the way that I wanted it to."

"The dinner was fine," replies Kristoff. "You just had your expectations too high. Next time, try to let it be a fun event. After all, enjoyment is the most important thing to have at a gathering of friends."

Anna smiles and replies, "Yes, I did get carried away tonight didn't I." Anna grabs a hold of Kristoff's hands and then they kiss each other. "I'll see you tomorrow," says Anna as she lets go of Kristoff and moves towards the palace. "Elsa needs me right now."

* * *

><p>As all this was happening outside, Olaf reaches Elsa's bedroom door and knocks. He then pushes into the room before Elsa responds to the knock. Elsa hardly notices the knock on her door, and she wasn't willing to respond to it anyway.<p>

"Hey Elsa," says Olaf. "Is it alright that I come?" Olaf was already in, and he is standing in the middle of the room. He is looking at Elsa who has been crying on her bed.

Elsa lifts her head and looks at Olaf. His silly smile and fun demeanor makes it difficult to be upset with Olaf for long. "I'm not in the mood for company right now, Olaf," says Elsa as she wipes some of the tears off of her face.

"Then it is a good thing that I am not company then," says Olaf as he walks over to the bed. "What you need right now is a friend, and that is what I am."

"Yes, but I don't want to talk to anyone right now," replies Elsa as she drops her head back down on the bed.

"Did Kristian say or do something that upsets you?" asks Olaf. Elsa does not respond to Olaf's question. So Olaf turns away from the bed and looks at the rest of the room. Olaf likes all the snow and ice that is displayed in the room. "I certainly like what you have done with your room," says Olaf. "It's pretty the way the room sparkles with all the crystals in the air."

Elsa turns her head and looks at the room. Then she sits up in the middle of the bed. "I never thought of it being beautiful," says Elsa sadly. "To me it is just a terrible reminder of my powers and how I still have difficulty controlling them."

"I wouldn't call them terrible Elsa," replies Olaf. "Everyone in Arendelle loves what you have done with them. The kids like to play in the snow. People can ice skate in the middle of the summer, and you can cool even the hottest days. Not to mention that fact that you made me. Without you I would not even exist."

A slight smile comes to Elsa's face as she listens to Olaf's cheerful voice. Then in a sad tone she says, "Yet, I get shunned by people. I never get personal contact with anyone."

"Now that is a false hood," says Olaf. "What about your sister Anna? Don't forget about Kristoff too. He hangs around with you. Plus you are forgetting about all the palace staff that interacts with you on a daily basis. What about all the people that say hello to you every day in the village of Arendelle? Elsa, you have more contact with people in one day than some people have in the entire year."

Elsa smiles weakly again. Then she says, "But I don't get the kind of interaction that I want. I thought that Kristian might be able to provide that, but even he shunned me."

"Oh, Kristian is just worried that you will hate him," counters Olaf.

"Hate him?" questions Elsa. She has been enjoying most of her time with Kristian. "Why would I even consider hating him?" asks Elsa.

"He thinks that if you find out about his secrets that you will go all snowy blizzard on him," replies Olaf.

Elsa swings her legs off the bed and sits on the edge of it. She is perplexed by what Olaf has said. "What secret could be so bad that would make me harm another individual?" says Elsa as she is talking to herself.

Sorry Elsa, I am not allowed to tell you that," replies Olaf in a cheerful way.

"Not allowed?" questions Elsa as she turns to look at Olaf. "Olaf, do you know Kristian's secrets?"

"I have no idea if I know them all," replies Olaf. "But I do know a few of them. Kristian thinks that his secrets make you and him unsuitable for each other."

"Olaf, will you tell me the secrets that you know about Kristian?" asks Elsa.

"Sorry, but I promised Kristian that I would not tell anyone about his secrets," replies Olaf. "I told Kristian that he should tell you. I even said that you would understand, but somehow he got the idea that you would not like who he is."

"Goran," quietly says Elsa to herself.

"Who is Goran?" asks Olaf.

"Goran is a mountain man that raised Kristian," replies Elsa. "According to Kristian, he is a very antisocial individual. If that is the case, it wouldn't be difficult to see Kristian picking up some of Goran's negative attitudes."

"Wow, you know things about Kristian that I don't," says Olaf cheerfully. "All I can tell you is that Kristian is a pretty good guy. His thinking is a little messed up, and Kristian is insecure around others. Yet, despite all the prodding and pushing that we have done to him, Kristian hasn't shown any aggression and has accepted our behavior with no reservations."

"Our behavior?" questions Elsa. "You think we were expecting too much from Kristian and have been pushing him further than he wanted to go?"

"All I have to do is look at what happened this noon," replies Olaf. "The four of us ganged up on Kristian to come to the dinner tonight. Then the big fancy dinner that was held. What did anyone expect from a guy who has lived alone on a mountain?"

Elsa drops her head a bit and says, "My behavior after the dinner didn't help matters much either. I was overwhelming Kristian with everything that I was doing. With showing off my magic and trying to comfort him at the end when Kristian barely knew who I was, I must have really intimidated him."

Just then a knock comes from the bedroom door. Elsa picks up her head and looks at the door. A voice comes from the other side. "Elsa, it's me Anna," says Anna a little wary of being too forward at this moment. "Is it all right if I come in?"

"Yes Anna, you can come in," replies Elsa with her voice sounding a little down.

Anna enters the room slowly. She sees Elsa sitting at the edge of her bed with Olaf standing close to her. "Welcome to the gossip room," says Olaf. Elsa smiles weakly at Olaf's comment.

"Are you feeling OK?" asks Anna as she approaches Elsa.

"I'm not feeling 100%, but Olaf has help to put some things into perspective for me," replies Elsa.

Anna sits down next to Elsa and she reaches out to take hold of Elsa's hands and says, "I am here for you if you need to talk."

Elsa looks into Anna's face and replies, "I know you will be. I just need some time to take in everything. This night just ended very badly for me."

"I know Kristian hurt your feelings," says Anna. "So I'm letting you know, that you don't have to worry about Kristian bothering you anymore."

Elsa looks at Anna with concern and asks, "What did you do tonight that makes you say that?"

"After you ran into the palace, I confronted Kristian and put him in his place," replies Anna. "I told him that his presence will no longer be welcomed at the palace. If Kristian does show up, we can have the palace guards remove him forcibly."

"Oh Anna," replies Elsa with disappointment. "You shouldn't have confronted Kristian."

"What?" asks a puzzled Anna. "He hurt you and does not deserve any sympathy. I should have done even more to him than what I did."

"I appreciate what you have tried to do for me," replies Elsa. "But the situation was not entirely Kristian's fault. We were partly to blame for this outcome."

"How can you give Kristian a pass like this?" asks Anna. "He has been cold and distant since we have met him. Then the last straw was when Kristian hurt your feelings."

"I am not giving Kristian a pass, Anna," replies Elsa. "However, there are circumstances that I must give some consideration."

"What circumstances would give you a reason to go easy on Kristian?" asks Anna.

"Oh, there is the fact that Kristian was raised alone on a mountain with a grumpy man," replies Olaf. "Also he thinks, if Elsa finds out about his secrets, she will try and put him into a deep freeze."

Anna looks at Olaf and then asks him, "How do you know all this about Kristian?"

"Elsa was the one who found out about Kristian's life in the mountains," replies Olaf. "As for the rest, I've become Kristian's friend and he shared some things with me. As his friend, I promised to keep those secrets."

Anna turns back towards Elsa and asks, "He told you about his past? He seemed to be withdrawn most of the time I was around him."

"Yes, I got onto the topic of my childhood and how our parents tried to do everything they could for me," replies Elsa. "That opened up the topic of Kristian's parents. I always thought that I had a troubled upbringing; but after hearing Kristian's story, I was fortunate to have a safe and stable home. The thing is, I could see that Kristian needed a friend; but I guess he was too afraid to accept me as one."

"So what are you going to do now?" asks Anna. "Since, I verbally kicked him out of the palace."

"I don't know what I am going to do now," replies Elsa. "I had invited Kristian to explore the sights of Arendelle; but after the way this night ended, I doubt that he will be showing up tomorrow."

"You can always invite him again," says Anna. "I will even apologize to Kristian for the remarks that I made earlier tonight. Between you and me though, he deserved some of those remarks."

"Oh Anna," says Elsa with a slight smile on her face. "You can be terrible, sometimes."

"At least I got a smile out of you," replies Anna with a grin. "So are you going to ask him again?"

"I don't know if he would accept," says Elsa. "Besides, I don't know where Kristian is staying."

"I know where he has been sleeping," chirps Olaf. "I can take you to the last place I saw him, if you want."

"That's some good news, Olaf," says Anna. "See Elsa, if you want, you can go over to him and offer another invitation."

"I don't know if I should," replies Elsa.

"Well the decision is up to you," says Anna. "The last time I tried to get involved, things didn't turn out that well."

"The last time you got involved was when you wanted to set up this dinner," replies Elsa.

"Like I said, the last time," says Anna with a grin on her face.

"Well, I can't answer for you Elsa; but I would say to give Kristian another shot," interjects Olaf. "Kristian is a friend of mine and I like to see all my friends happy. Seeing Kristian again will make you happy, and Kristian can use another friend. He doesn't have many of them and doesn't know how to make more."

"Olaf does have a point," says Anna. "This time however, treat him more like you would treat an average person off the street instead of a potential date."

"A potential suitor is definitely out of the question," replies Elsa. "Kristian made that perfectly clear, but I don't know if being a friend is even in the realm of possibilities."

"Oh, the possibility is there," replies Olaf. "You just need to let Kristian be Kristian. So what do you say? Want to go say hi to him?"

"Gone on Elsa," says Anna. "The worst that he can do is say no, and you already had him say that to you tonight already."

"I have my reservations about this, but I might as well do it," says Elsa with a sigh.

"Great!" exclaims Olaf. "What are we waiting for? Let's get going. I'll take you to him right now." Olaf turns and starts walking towards the door.

"Wait!" exclaims Elsa. "I didn't mean that I would go see him right now. I was thinking more in the morning. I need to rest and recover from tonight's disaster, and it would be good if Kristian could do the same."

"Yes, emotions are high right now," adds Anna. "Everyone needs to cool off and a good night's rest will improve everyone's temperament."

* * *

><p>Kristian moves quickly through the village of Arendelle, once he got away from Anna's grasp, for Kristian did not want Anna to follow him. Anna had been persistent on the bridge, and Kristian feared that she may attempt to catch up to him. When Kristian reaches the edge of the village and had gotten out of sight of most of the buildings, he stops and looks back.<p>

"At least Anna didn't follow me," says Kristian to himself. "She doesn't need to be part of Elsa's demise."

Then Kristian begins to walk back to his campsite. He picks up a large stick and like what Goran had done earlier, he sends his flame up the stick to the top and uses it like a torch. On his walk back to his camp, Kristian has time to think.

"How can Anna not be involved in what is coming next?" Kristian asks himself. "Anna is close to her sister and has already shown a willingness to protect Elsa. She will get in the way. It was good for everyone that I ended things the way that I did. They both need to hate me if they are going to get through what is coming"

After a short distance traveled Kristian talks to himself again, this time with agitation. "What's wrong with you Kristian? Why do you even care about them? They are the enemy and you will be partly responsible for their deaths. You have got to be cold about this. Goran says that ice and fire cannot coexist. One must eliminate the other."

Kristian stops for a moment and his right hand lights up with fire. Kristian lets out a roar, and he fires a fireball at one of the few snow piles that still remain at the lower elevations. It melts instantly and stem rises from the melting snow.

"That was smart of you," says Kristian in disgust. "Why don't you notify everyone that you are here?" Then Kristian continues his journey back to his campsite. "This was supposed to be an easy job. All you had to do was keep an eye on Elsa. You weren't supposed to get emotionally involved with her."

After this last statement, Kristian finishes his trip back to camp in silence. Only the sound of wind through the trees and the animals in the woods break the silence. Finally Kristian reaches his campsite, and Mattias is asleep in the campfire. Kristian approaches the fire and calls out. "Hey Mattias, you up?"

Now Kristian sits down near the fire and looks into the fire. Shortly, Mattias begins to take shape and lets out a squawk. "Here you go boy," says Kristian as he tosses the stick he was carrying to Mattias. Mattias catches the stick and begins to consume it. Then Kristian leans back against a rock and looks through the treetops at the stars in the sky.

"This day was a lot crazier than I thought it would be Mattias," says Kristian. "I got boxed in at the village square by Queen Elsa, her friends, and her sister. Then I got roped into a dinner with the queen."

Mattias jumps up and perches on a rock that surrounds the camp fire. He lets out a question squawk. Kristian looks at the fire bird as if he understands what the bird is thinking.

"The dinner went fine," says Kristian to Mattias. "A little over board on the cutlery, but the food was good. The queen was even a gracious hostess."

Mattias hops off his rock and moves closer to Kristian. Mattias tilts his head and looks into Kristian's face. Then Mattias claps his beak a few times.

"The queen?" replies Kristian to Mattias' noise. "She was a pretty lady and kind. She was willing to show me around the palace and tell me about her past. She had a difficult beginning, but she managed to make a real home here in Arendelle. She even has friends and family here that care about her." Kristian leans back on his rock again. "I do envy Elsa and her life," says Kristian.

Now Mattias claps his beak again and flaps his wings.

"Be serious Mattias," replies Kristian again to the noise of Mattias. "I can't be a part of her life. We are opposites of each other. Not only is she royalty but she is the ice witch that we are her to destroy. I'm just a mountain man and a fire demon."

Now Mattias spreads his wings and lowers his head. He lets out a hiss of objection to Kristian's comment.

"Don't you start on me as well," says Kristian as he sits up and looks at the fire bird. "Olaf has already said the same thing. How can I possibly connect with her? She is a queen and is use to the finer things in life. I needed help just to understand the silverware at the dinner table. Besides, how can fire and ice coexist?"

To this comment from Kristian; Mattias ruffles his feathers, turns away, and hops to a nearby rock.

"Don't be so indignant with me," says Kristian. "How can I possible go against what Goran wants anyway? He plans on destroying Queen Elsa. I can't betray the man who raised me. Even if I think what he is planning is misguided.

Now Mattias turns around and hisses at Kristian again and ruffles his feathers afterwards.

"Oh sure, stand up to Goran," replies Kristian to Mattias' actions. "If I push too hard, I could end up exiled from the safety of the mountain; if not physically injured."

So in response, Mattias turns his head sideways and claps his beak.

"Head out on my own?" questions Kristian. "Perhaps I should someday; but being what I am, it will take planning and preparation. I can't just leave and go anywhere I want."

So again Mattias squawks and flaps his wings. He temporarily lifts himself off the ground and lands back down on the same spot.

"No Mattias. After what is going to happen, I can't come and live here," says Kristian. After a short pause and looking off into the distance Kristian continues. "The North Mountains seem pretty isolated. Perhaps I could move there if I ever decide to leave Goran."

Now Kristian gets up, goes to his pack, and pulls out his blanket. Then Kristian spreads the blanket on the ground and sets his pack on one end. "We should be getting some sleep, Mattias," says Kristian as he stretches his arm out towards the fire bird.

Mattias flies over and lands on Kristian's arm. Kristian carries the fire bird over to the campfire and lets Mattias hop off of his arm into the campfire. Mattias' form dissolves into the fire and he becomes one with it. Kristian then returns to his blanket and lays down. He then pulls part of the blanket over himself. "Goodnight Mattias," says Kristian. "Hopefully tomorrow will go easier." With that said, Kristian drifts off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Elsa is already up and down in the private dining area. On the dining table, Elsa has a small stack of papers next to her breakfast. Elsa is reading one of the sheets from this stack as she slowly eats her meal. It is when Elsa is just about done eating when Olaf comes walking into the room.

"Good morning Elsa," calls out Olaf. "You always have been an early riser. Yesterday, Anna was still in bed at this time."

"I prefer to sit and think in the morning. Where Anna needs to rest up because of all the energy she spent the previous night," replies Elsa.

"So what do you have to think about?" asks Olaf. "I bet it has to do with Kristian. Are you trying to think of what to say?"

"Kristian has crossed my mind a little," replies Elsa. "However, I am trying to focus on these papers here. They represent petitions from some of the people of Arendelle."

"Petitions? What do they say?" asks Olaf.

They're just asking me to do certain things," replies Elsa. "Some I can say yes to and to others no. There are a few that I will need some time to think about before I give a decision on."

"They sound like boring things to read," says Olaf.

"They can be at times," replies Elsa. "But they are a very good way to understand how things in Arendelle are running. However, you are not here to talk about my business. So what brings you here so early in the morning?"

"Like you really need to ask," says Olaf. "Last night you said you would go and ask Kristian if he wanted to tour Arendelle with you. I'm here to lead you to him."

Elsa's eyes drop and she takes a deep breath before she responds to Olaf. "I was really trying not to think of it," she says. Elsa then looks at Olaf and continues. "I was sort of hoping, that if I ignored it, that the situation would go away."

Olaf cheerfully replies, "The situation is all about having fun. It will be an adventure. Just think about going through the streets of Arendelle, visiting the businesses and shops along our way. All the people that we can say hello to and who will say hello back. There isn't anything more fun than hanging out with friends."

Elsa smiles a little and says," Yes, but Kristian might say no."

"So does that mean you won't take me on a tour of Arendelle then?" asks Olaf a little sad.

"Of course I can take you on a tour Olaf," replies Elsa with a slightly bigger smile. "If Kristian won't come I can still show you around, but you have already seen everything."

"I haven't seen everything today," replies Olaf. "Each day is different from the last. New enjoyments are just a short time away. I can't wait to see what fun we are going to have out among the people."

Elsa gets up from the table and collects her papers. "Yes, today will be a fun day no matter what," says Elsa with a smile, "Especially when I have a friend like you."

"So are we heading out then to see Kristian?" asks Olaf.

"Yes, but first I need to drop these papers on my desk and have a quick word with the royal advisor before we leave," replies Elsa.

"Then I will meet you out in the village square when you're done," says Olaf as he waves good bye to Elsa and heads out of the room.

It was about a half hour later when Elsa comes walking out of the palace. Elsa has decided to bring her gloves along. Considering how things had turned out last night with Kristian, Elsa did not want the same thing to happen today as it did last night on the bridge. As Elsa reaches the far end of the bridge, Olaf comes running up to her.

"I was wondering if you were going to show up soon," chirps Olaf. "I was just about to go looking for you."

"You're a bit impatient," replies a smiling Elsa. "It has only been a half hour since you last saw me."

"It's a beautiful day out," replies Olaf. "It would be a shame to waste it just standing around."

"Perhaps we should be on our way then," says Elsa as she motions to Olaf to lead the way. "We don't want to waste any more of this wonderful day."

"My sentiments exactly," replies Olaf as he moves off in the direction of Kristian's camp with Elsa following right behind.

As the pair move through the streets of Arendelle, they pass some of the most visited inns in the village. Elsa is beginning to wonder where Kristian has been spending the nights. "So where in Arendelle is Kristian staying?" asks Elsa.

"Kristian isn't staying in the village," replies Olaf. "He has a campsite out in the countryside."

Elsa is surprised by this. "A campsite?" questions Elsa. "The nights are still cold. Wouldn't he have preferred a warm room in one of the village inns?"

"Kristian prefers to be alone," replies Olaf. "Besides, I'm sure the cold doesn't bother him, and Kristian has a really cool campfire."

"So how far is his campsite?" asks Elsa.

"It is a bit of a walk," replies Olaf. "It's why it is good that we got going right away."

"Then talking with Kristian will take more time than I thought," replies Elsa. "After we talk with Kristian, where would you like to go first?"

"Why don't you ask Kristian where he would like to go first?" asks Olaf.

"Because Kristian will most likely say no to going on a tour with us," replies Elsa feeling a little down now. "So I thought that we would be visiting things that you would like to see."

"Sure, we can go to some of my favorite spots," chirps Olaf. "But let's first talk to Kristian before we decide on where I want to go. OK."

"OK, Olaf," replies Elsa. "We'll go see Kristian first. Then we will make our plans for the day."

* * *

><p>Kristian had woken up early with the sun coming up. One of the first things that Kristian did was to pull a frying pan out of his pack. He also pulled a lard lined cloth wrapped with string out of his pack as well. In this package were some cured meats. Kristian had fried some of this meat along with some eggs he had picked up in Arendelle the day before. Mattias, the fire bird, was still in the campfire. Mattias always likes this time of day because of the attention he gets from Kristian. As Kristian cooks his meal, he handles the hot frying pan with his bare hands without even thinking about the heat it is letting off.<p>

Once Kristian is done cooking, he sits on a rock near the campfire and slowly eats out of the frying pan. As he eats, Kristian is contemplating what he has to do today. Kristian is beginning to resent his role in the plans of Goran. "This whole affair is really beginning to be a disaster," says Kristian partly to himself and partly to Mattias. "A job is a job, but this one is getting to me. I'm not looking forward to watching Elsa again. I really should be keeping my distance from her. I just can't afford to get emotionally involved with someone like Elsa."

When Kristian is done eating out of the frying pan, he goes and scoops up some snow into it. Using his magic powers, Kristian heats the frying pan and melts the snow in it. Kristian then proceeds to scrub the pan with a rag. As Kristian scrubs the pan, he begins to talk with Mattias. "It looked like it was a cold night last night," says Kristian. "My blanket got covered in frost. It is a good thing that you and I can generate some extra heat when needed, huh Mattias."

When Kristian is done cleaning his pan, he dries the pan by sending his flame around the pan and evaporating the water. Kristian also does the same thing with the rag he was using. Kristian then goes and puts the pan and rag back into his pack.

"It certainly helps that drying things is a breeze," says Kristian. "Now let me take care of the frost on that blanket."

Kristian picks up the blanket by grabbing a corner in each hand. Then Kristian flaps the blanket in the air and at the same time he lets small wisps of flame come from his hands and body. These wisps make the blanket flap, and they quickly dry the blanket in no time. Kristian examines the blanket to make sure that it is sufficiently dry before he folds the blanket up. Kristian then kneels down next to his pack and works on putting the blanket into his pack. Kristian takes his time on doing this job, because he wants to make sure that he doesn't accidently make a mess. He would hate to have to clean his blanket or pack if some of his food supplies spilled. Just then Kristian hears a voice coming from behind him.

Olaf had just showed up and he calls out to Kristian. "Hi Kristian! Did you sleep well last night?"

Kristian recognizes Olaf's voice so he doesn't look up and finishes with his pack. "Olaf, what are you doing….," starts Kristian until he looks back at Olaf and sees Elsa next to him. Kristian pauses for a second before finishing the question, "here?"

Kristian is startled to see Elsa at his campsire. So Kristian stands up and turns to face Olaf and Elsa. Kristian also quickly clenches his fists to stop any potential flame development from his hands. After last night, Kristian thought that Elsa would not want to see him right away. Kristian had even partially hoped that Elsa would have become angry with him.

"Elsa has a question to ask you and I said that I could take her to you. So here we are, "replies Olaf.

Elsa could see that Kristian was tense and was beginning to regret coming here. "I am sorry for showing up like this," says Elsa. "Especially considering how things ended last night. It's just, I wasn't sure about something."

Now Kristian was puzzled. Kristian thought that he was very plain and blunt with Elsa. How could she not understand what he was saying? "I thought I was fairly clear in my intentions," says Kristian.

"You were very clear about not wanting a relationship with me," replies Elsa. "That is not what I am here about. It's just that I had invited you on a tour of Arendelle and I was uncertain if you were still planning on coming."

During this conversation, Olaf has moved himself over to the campfire. Olaf has gone there to see if Mattias was in the fire. Mattias was there but he was not in a solid state. However, when Olaf approaches, Mattias solidifies enough for Olaf to make out the fire birds shape in the campfire. During Olaf's inspection, Kristian and Elsa are facing each other. They are a distance away from the campfire with their sides towards the fire.

Meanwhile, Kristian is still trying to coup with the shock of Elsa being there. "I had assumed that the tour of Arendelle was off," says Kristian a bit befuddled. "I thought you would be upset with me."

"I was upset last night," replies Elsa as she approaches Kristian. "But that was last night. Today is another day and I was wondering if you still wanted to take that tour."

In the meantime, Olaf had picked up a stick and was giving it to Mattias. Mattias takes the stick from Olaf in his beak and consumes the stick in flames. Kristian glances over at Olaf and grimaces a little. Elsa is standing within arm's reach of Kristian and Olaf is interacting with Mattias. The potential for Elsa seeing Mattias is high and Kristian is getting nervous.

"I…um…really shouldn't…ah…the thing is…um…just can't…you know…seem to be…ah…available," stammers Kristian as he keeps glancing back and forth between Elsa and Olaf.

Elsa is puzzled by Kristian's flustered response and odd behavior. "What is going on with Olaf that has got you so flustered?" asks Elsa as she turns to look at Olaf.

"No," says Kristian quietly as he steps forward and grabs a hold of Elsa's lower shoulders. With his hands on her shoulders, Kristian turns Elsa so her back is towards Olaf and Mattias.

Kristian's fear had caused his hands to flame up when he grabbed a hold of Elsa. The flames were small and the motion of the turn was quick. So Elsa did not notice the flame. She did notice the warmth from Kristian's hands, but she did not notice her powers extinguish the flame from Kristian's hands.

Elsa smiles as she looks at Kristian. Kristian, meanwhile, is looking over Elsa's shoulder at Olaf and Mattias. "You're still holding me," lightly says Elsa.

"Oh, sorry," apologies Kristian. He lets go of Elsa and steps back from her. "I didn't mean to handle you so roughly."

"I didn't mind," replies Elsa. "You're hands are warm. I would have thought that the night's air would have made them cold."

"Um, ya," responds Kristian. "I was able to warm them with a fire this morning. My body temperature…um… runs warmer than most too."

"You certainly must run warm to handle the cold nights," says Elsa.

"Well, you know when you live in the mountains you get use to the cold," replies Kristian. Kristian has also stepped off to the side a bit. He wanted to glance over at Olaf without Elsa getting in the way of his sight.

Elsa notices Kristian's attention going back to Olaf. So she asks, "What is Olaf playing with that has got you so nervous?"

"What?" says Kristian nervously as his eyes dart back towards Elsa. Kristian clenches his hands to make sure that any flame that might form was snuffed out.

"Is Olaf messing around with one of those secrets of yours?" asks Elsa without turning around to look at Olaf.

Kristian's fear has escalated now. He swings his fists behind his back before they light up with flame. He also takes a step back. Then he asks, "Olaf, did you tell Elsa?"

Olaf moves away from the campfire, but before he can speak Elsa responds. "Olaf didn't tell me anything. However he did say, that you think, that I would harm you because of those secrets. If that is the case then perhaps I shouldn't know about them."

Now Kristian's fear is being displaced by disbelief. The flame on Kristian's hands subsides, and he opens his palms. The remaining flame gathers in his palm and Kristian smoothers those flames by clenching his fists. "You're not interested in those secrets?" asks Kristian. He can't comprehend why Elsa wouldn't be curious about something that he thinks is potentially harmful.

"I would be lying if I said that I wasn't interested," replies Elsa. "But I don't want to pry into something that you would be uncomfortable talking about. To put your mind at ease let me just say that I wouldn't harm another individual on purpose. I had four men, who in one way or another were involved in attempts on my life. All four of those men I left alive. So if I didn't harm them, I can't see what would make me harm anyone else."

"Maybe you wouldn't harm me, but I can't see it ending any other way," says Kristian as he looks away from Elsa.

Elsa feels that the outcome she had been expecting is coming true. For Elsa, there was no need to continue any further with trying to invite Kristian. However, Olaf was not yet ready to give up.

"You really are a funny man," chirps Olaf as he approaches Elsa and Kristian.

Kristian glances over at Olaf, who is coming up alongside Elsa. "What are you going on about?" asks a puzzled Kristian.

""I said you are a funny man," repeats Olaf. "You're getting yourself all twisted up between what you believe and what you are experiencing."

"What I believe and what I know is all that I can go on," replies Kristian. "I can't afford to do anything else."

"Last evening, you came to dinner," chirps Olaf. "I know you thought it was a mistake before you came but you came anyway. It looked like you were having a good time too."

"I thought you were enjoying the evening as well," adds Elsa, "at least most of the time anyway."

Kristian looks over at Elsa. He sees the look of concern on her face and Kristian begins to regret what he had done last night. Yet, he still thinks it was the correct course of action, but Kristian wished that he had done it a better way. "The dinner was fine," says Kristian, "even if the meal was over the top."

"I know it was," says Elsa. "Anna had made it more than I wanted it to be. I do love my sister, but she can be a little too enthusiastic at times."

"I noticed Anna had a way of going over the top," replies Kristian, "especially when she was chastising me last night."

"Yes, she told me about that," says Elsa. "Anna said she would apologize for those remarks that she made."

"Would she actually be sincere about that apology?" asks Kristian with a slight smile.

Elsa notices the smile and smiles back. "Well, maybe only some of what she said Anna would truly be sorry about," replies Elsa.

Kristian's smile gets bigger. "Anna certainly made the evening interesting," says Kristian. "She and Kristoff made the dinner unusual."

"I was glad that Kristoff was there too," adds Elsa. "I felt that he had saved the evening."

"Don't I get any recognition?" chirps Olaf.

"I was happy to have you there as well," replies Elsa as she looks down into the smiling face of Olaf. "Without you the dinner would not have even happened."

"I was just trying to do my part," replies Olaf. Olaf then turns to Kristian and asks, "So did you learn anything from last evening's affair?"

"Um sure, I learned how Elsa got to live openly in Arendelle," replies Kristian.

"Then you learned how Elsa is a kind and caring lady," says Olaf. "She likes you and I like you, and all Elsa wants to do is share what she likes about Arendelle with you. I would like to do the same."

Kristian looks at Elsa and sees that she is a little embarrassed by Olaf's comment. Elsa notices Kristian's gaze and responds by saying, "I promise not to make any more unwanted gestures towards you. If I do, just tell me and I will refrain from them. So if you want, I can still take you on that tour."

Kristian just stands there silently. He doesn't know what to say. On one side, there is Goran and the mission that the two of them are here to do. On the other side, Kristian has begun to like Elsa and Olaf.

"Just say yes," says Olaf. "I will be going along too. You can see some of my favorite places I like to go. After all, I need to show my friend Kristian a good time."

Kristian looks down at Olaf and smiles. Olaf has become a significant friend to him. After a moment Kristian replies, "Alright Olaf, if you're coming along I guess that I can come too."

"That's great!" exclaims Olaf. "We can visit some nearby hills that are covered in flowers. There is a great view point of Arendelle not too far away from those hills too. Once we get into Arendelle, I can show you one of the favorite spots that the kids go to have fun."

"Thank you Olaf, that will be enough," interrupts Elsa. "If we try and see every place you want to go, we won't have enough time in the day. We will take things as they come. If we are lucky, we will be able to see most of the things that you want to visit."

"You're right, we should get going," says Olaf excitedly. He starts to run down the path and calls back. "Come on, we are wasting a beautiful day just standing here!"

"Hold on a minute!" calls out Kristian. "I should get something out of my pack." Kristian moves towards his pack and kneels down to open it.

Elsa and Olaf watch Kristian as he heads to his pack. It was at this point that Elsa glances over at the campfire. Elsa is wondering what Olaf had been doing over there that had made Kristian so nervous. She sees the fire burning in the fire ring of rocks but Elsa does not see the fire bird. When Olaf had walked away, Mattias had settled down again and once again had become one with the campfire. Only if you looked closely into the fire could you make out the faint shape of the fire bird. When Elsa looks back at Kristian, she is disappointed when she sees Kristian get up with a pair of gloves in his hand. It was one of the things that she liked most about being with Kristian, the ability to touch another person without them being afraid of her. Elsa sighs a little and says, "Are you ready to go then?"

Kristian puts on the gloves and he throws a satchel over his shoulder. Then he replies, "I am good to go. You may as well lead the way, since I will be in your charge on this journey."

A little more disappointment enters Elsa's emotions. She wanted to forget many things about her life today. Elsa wanted to forget about her powers and she wanted to forget about being queen. Kristian's comment has reminded Elsa of the responsibility she has in Arendelle. Now she has the responsibility of directing the tour. Elsa was beginning to think this tour was going to be a disappointment.

"Don't worry Elsa," speaks up Olaf. "You don't have to be in charge for the first bit of the tour. I can lead the way to the wildflowers and then I can take you to one of my favorite viewpoints."

"Thank you Olaf," says Elsa as she brightens up. "You may lead the way." Olaf had taken some of the responsibility away from Elsa, and she was happy to relinquish that control. Now Elsa can try and enjoy some of the journey. Though at this moment, Elsa thinks that Kristian will be a drag on the enjoyment.

Olaf begins walking down the trail. He is followed by Elsa, with Kristian just a stride behind her. As they walk down the path, Kristian has time to think. "This is such a mistake," thinks Kristian. "I almost got caught using my powers last night. If Elsa does find out, I'm going to be in serious jeopardy. I might stand a chance against Elsa, but how long will it be before someone else intervenes on her behalf?"

As Kristian was thinking this, Elsa looks back at him and gives him a slight smile. This snaps Kristian out of his train of thought and he gives a smile back at Elsa. "Elsa certainly is a kind lady," thinks Kristian. "She is fairly attractive as well."

Soon Kristian hears a voice from up ahead. It is Olaf. "Here is the first stop on our trip to the sights of Arendelle," chirps Olaf.

Elsa stops just behind Olaf and Kristian comes up alongside Elsa. In front of them is a rolling field full of spring flowers. "This is one of the best fields of spring flowers around Arendelle," cheerfully says Olaf.

"It certainly is beautifully," replies Elsa. "There are flowers all over this field."

"I see why you like this place, Olaf," adds Kristian. "This place gives you a feeling of rebirth and hope."

"I thought it smelled pretty," replies Olaf.

"It certainly does," says Elsa as she smiles brightly.

Kristian smiles too at Olaf's comment. He looks at Olaf and then he looks at Elsa. Kristian sees Elsa's bright smiling face with the field of flowers behind her. Kristian can't help but keep smiling as he looks at Elsa. Elsa glances over at Kristian and sees his smiling face looking at her. Elsa's eyes transfix onto Kristian's eyes for a moment as she continues to smile.

For a moment, Kristian forgets everything that has lead up to this point and is solely focused on Elsa's shining eyes. Kristian then realizes that he forgot why he is here in Arendelle. So Kristian quickly glances away from Elsa and looks off into the distance. Now Elsa's smile fades as she too looks off into the distance at the field of flowers.

"It can be easy to forget the world when you have such a serene place to lose yourself in," quietly says Elsa. "One can believe that the world is beautiful and that everything that you want the world to be can actually occur. You can feel like anything is possible and that one's life will be perfect."

"That is a nice sentiment," responds Kristian as he continues to look off into the distance. "But reality is more about hardship than beauty. It is a mistake to have such false dreams."

Elsa turns towards Kristian and looks at the side of his face. Elsa does not like the fact that Kristian has tried to put a damper on her dreams. So Elsa replies, "Perhaps those dreams are not real, but I need to hold onto those dreams to make it through each day."

Kristian turns towards Elsa and looks at her with a questioning look. Before he can ask a question Elsa continues. "I know that the world is not perfect, and that there will always be people out there who will hate me. Yet, I also know that there are people out there who will give me a chance to be who I am. I try to live up to those dreams of perfection of myself, but I know that I make mistakes. Yet, it is the hope of achieving that ideal world that keeps me moving forward. Even if that world is unattainable. I would hate to think what I would be like if I didn't have my dreams."

"I don't see how you would be any different than you are right now," says Kristian.

"Early on my dreams were about keeping my family and sister safe from my magic," replies Elsa. "That dream became false, but it was through that dream that led me to become the respected ruler of Arendelle."

Kristian looks at Elsa's stern face with a blank look on his own. Kristian has to run through everything that Elsa has just told him and put it into some kind of acceptable form. "I am impressed by how far you have managed to get yourself by chasing those ideals," says Kristian.

Elsa's face softens at Kristian's compliment. "Thank you," replies Elsa. "Fortunately, I didn't have to do it all on my own. Others have helped me, especially my sister."

Just then, they hear Olaf's voice from across the field. "Are you two going to be standing there all day or are you going to come and look out at the view of Arendelle!" calls out Olaf.

"Perhaps we should move on," says Elsa.

"Yes, it probably would be the best thing to do," replies Kristian. "We don't want to get Olaf upset with us."

Elsa smiles and replies as she begins to walk towards Olaf, "I don't think Olaf is capable of getting upset."

Kristian walks towards Olaf as well. However, this time instead of being behind Elsa, Kristian is walking right next to her. Elsa smiles a little as she can see that Kristian is right there. After a short walk across the field, the pair finds themselves at the foot of a hill. At the top of the hill is Olaf who is waving at them. Elsa and Kristian soon reach the top of the hill with Olaf and are able to see across the countryside and look down at the village of Arendelle.

"This is one of my favorite spots to hang out," says Olaf as Elsa and Kristian stop.

"I can see why," replies Elsa. "You can see Arendelle very well from up here."

"Oh that," says Olaf. "Yes, you do have a good view of Arendelle from here, but I think the better view is of the field of flowers that we just left."

Kristian and Elsa turn around and look back at where they came from. From the vantage point of the hill they can see the entire field of flowers. "That is impressive," replies Elsa. "I do think that is a beautiful sight."

"I will admit that this hill does have a good vantage point," says Kristian as he looks at the field. However, Kristian's eyes soon move up to the North Mountains. The mountains can be seen very well across the tops of the trees from the hill that Kristian is standing on.

Elsa notices Kristian's gaze up at the mountains. Elsa looks up as well to see what Kristian is looking at. "Those are the North Mountains," says Elsa. "They tend to stay snow covered for most of the year. Very few people go up there because of the snow." Elsa turns to look at Kristian and asks, "Is your mountain home like the North Mountains?"

"A mountain is a mountain," replies Kristian. "It is hard to tell just by standing here, but I would think that there are lots of similarities. My home would be just inside the edge of the tree line."

"That's a pretty cold place to live," says Elsa as she looks back up at the mountains.

"I've gotten used to it," replies Kristian.

"I guess that is why you aren't bothered by my magic powers," adds Elsa.

"Um yeah, I guess that could be it," replies Kristian. In reality, Kristian doesn't want to reveal the real reason why Elsa's powers don't bother him.

Meanwhile, Elsa's gaze has moved to a cloud sitting on the side of the mountain. "That's odd," says Elsa. "That cloud seems to be out of place. Normally they hang around the top peaks. This cloud is hanging low on the mountain. It is as if something is keeping it there."

Kristian looks at the cloud and a sensation of regret enters his mind. Kristian believes he knows what is causing that cloud. He turns away from the mountain and looks at the village of Arendelle. Kristian knows what is coming to the village, and he doesn't know how to handle the emotional turmoil that is going on inside of him.

* * *

><p>Up on the mountain, Goran has just exited his cave. The steam from the harvesting of snow and ice by the fire creatures has condensed into a cloud over the whole area. This cloud hides the work that these fire creatures have been doing. The first thing that Goran does, is to walk over to the mountain of snow and ice that the creatures have been building. It is difficult for Goran to see the massive mound in the fog of the cloud. Soon Goran stands at one end of the retaining wall. He can barely see the top of the wall in the fog but the other end of the wall is completely hidden in the fog.<p>

"Very good," smiles Goran. "This project should be ready in three days." Once Goran is done viewing the pile, he proceeds to walk to the top end of the large mound. The ground around this mound is now bare. Every speck of snow and ice has either been thrown into the mound or was melted away by Goran and the fire creatures. When Goran reaches the top side of this mound, he calls out. "Demons assemble!" In a few moments the ten monsters that have been building the mound appear. Goran looks over his creatures. "Work has progressed well," booms Goran. "In a few more days your work will be complete. However, I will not tolerate weakness in my workers."

Goran stretches out a hand toward a fire creature. That creature roars as his flame builds into an inferno. In a short while, the roar fades and the flame is entirely spent and disappears into the air. "Now to reward those that have shown strength and endurance," says Goran. Ribbons of flame come from Goran's hands, and a single ribbon enters each of the remaining creatures. Once again the monsters roar and grow in size. Then Goran sends out another two ribbons that swirl on the ground and form two more fire creatures. Now a total of eleven creatures stand before Goran. "Now get back to work!" shouts Goran as he emits a superheated flame that cracks in the air.

As these monsters leave, Goran heads down to a lower elevation. He wants to get below the cloud that has formed around the large mound. In a short while, Goran is below the cloud and he finds a vantage point where he can view Arendelle through his telescope. Goran quickly scans over the village until he settles his sight on the palace. Then he slowly scans away from the palace. Goran is looking for Kristian.

"Where is that boy?" asks Goran as he is not pleased at not finding Kristian. "He had better not be slacking in his duties."

After having looked at every possible spot he can see in Arendelle, Goran takes the telescope away from his face and looks down on the village. Goran then returns it to his eye and starts to scan the area around Arendelle. Soon Goran's gaze comes across the field of flowers and above this field on a hill he comes across two figures.

"Is that Kristian?" asks Goran as he focuses on the pair of individuals. "What is he doing that far out of town, and why is he with that girl?"

Goran becomes angry. "He is supposed to be keeping an eye on the queen!" fumes Goran. "Not hanging out with a local girl! He is letting his emotions interfere with my plans. The fool has always been an emotional weakling." Goran puts his telescope away and growls. "Now I've got to go down there and set that kid right. The dam fool!"

* * *

><p>Down on the hill, Elsa has been talking about the village to Kristian. She has been pointing out some of the different places and suggesting different spots that they could visit. Meanwhile Olaf had walked back down to the flowers and was picking a couple of them. After he had gotten together a handful of flowers, Olaf heads towards the path to Arendelle. Once he got to the edge of the trees he turns back and calls out to Elsa and Kristian.<p>

"Hey guys!" cries out Olaf as he waves his free hand in the air. "I'm heading back to the village! You can catch up to me there!"

Kristian and Elsa watch Olaf disappear into the trees. Elsa then turns to Kristian and says, "We should catch up to Olaf. It is pleasant out here in the country, but there are lots of things to see. Olaf would be disappointed if we didn't go see some of his favorite places."

"I don't think he would be disappointed with anyone or anything," replies Kristian as he begins to walk alongside Elsa towards the village.

Elsa smiles at Kristian's comment. Then she replies, "Olaf does always have a way of looking at the positive side of things."

As Kristian and Elsa walk back to Arendelle, Elsa points out a few landmarks along the way. Kristian listens to Elsa talk with interest. When they first started the walk on the path, Kristian was deep in thought. Goran was on his mind. His responsibility to Goran was as well. However, when Elsa began to speak; Kristian began to forget his train of thought and began to focus on Elsa's voice. There was something about the way that she spoke that he liked. Elsa's voice somehow made Kristian forget about the future and made him enjoy the present. The enjoyment was short lived because, what seem like no time at all, they were at the village of Arendelle. Slowly Kristian's enjoyment faded and the future conflict came to the forefront again.

As they enter Arendelle, Kristian and Elsa notice Olaf handing out flowers to the some of the people of Arendelle. Olaf notices them arrive, and he heads towards the pair.

"I see that you have picked some flowers for some people," says Elsa.

"Flowers always brighten up people's day," replies Olaf. "But I made sure to save one flower for my friend."

Elsa smiles and says, "That's nice of you Olaf, but you didn't need to save a flower. You could have given it to someone else."

"But I wanted to give it to my friend," replies Olaf.

Olaf extends his hand with the flower and walks forward. Elsa extends her hand to receive the flower, but to her surprise Olaf does not hand the flower to her. Instead Olaf walks up to Kristian. "Here you go, Kristian," says Olaf. "I think you need something to cheer you up."

For a moment, Kristian is befuddled by Olaf's action. Then hesitantly he accepts the flower. "Um, thanks," replies Kristian uncertainly.

Elsa watches the interaction of Olaf and Kristian, and can't help but laugh a little at Kristian's awkwardness. After giving the flower to Kristian, Olaf still had a few flowers left and he departed to hand them out to other people. Kristian stands there, looking at the flower he is holding. He then looks up at Elsa and sees her laughing.

"I'm sorry," says Elsa. "But you look ridiculous holding that flower."

"Well, what am I supposed to do with it," replies Kristian as he holds the flower out in front of him. "It's not like I have a use for it."

"You can start by not acting like the flower is toxic," amusingly says Elsa. "Other than that, you simply need to enjoy it. It's colorful and smells beautiful. It is a wonderful reminder of how everything is fresh and new in the spring."

Kristian looks down at the flower and ponders what Elsa has said. Then he lifts his head and looks at Elsa. "Perhaps I should give it to someone who would appreciate it more than me," says Kristian as he holds the flower out to Elsa.

Elsa reaches out to accept the flower. "Thank you," says Elsa as she takes the flower. She raises the flower to her face so she can smell its fragrance.

As Elsa smells the flower, Kristian gazes at her. To him, she radiates warmth and gentleness. "I think that flower has found a better place to be," says Kristian. "I'm just a rough mountain man."

"Nonsense," replies Elsa. "Everyone needs a little beauty in their life, mountain man or not."

"I'm hanging out with you," replies Kristian. "Isn't that enough beauty for one guy?"

Elsa smiles and replies, "Sometimes, you can be quite remarkable. Every now and then you find a way to surprise me. I just wish that they were all as pleasant as this."

"You don't know the half of it," says Kristian as he turns his head away from Elsa.

Elsa, seeing this, turns her whole body away from Kristian as her smile fades from her face. She looks down at the flower wondering what she can do to improve their interaction.

Kristian notices the sadness of Elsa and turns back towards her. "Well if you think that I am remarkable, you are downright amazing," says Kristian. "You control the snow and ice without a second thought. You rule over hundreds of people and they do not even fear you. You even have friends and family here that care about you. I almost envy everything that you have Elsa. So you deserve something a lot better than what I am."

Elsa looks up from her flower and looks at Kristian. Her mood has once again improved. "Don't sell yourself short," says Elsa. "You have been kind and have put up with Anna and me. Since I have known you, you have always tried to be respectful of me. I sometimes wonder if you are the better person between the two of us."

Kristian stands there a little stunned by Elsa's comment. "I am not the better person here Elsa," replies Kristian. "Most of my motives have been fairly selfish. Curiosity is what has been bringing me to you. Seriously though, we are two totally different people."

Olaf was just walking back towards Elsa and Kristian. He had finished giving away all of the flowers he had and heard the end of the conversation. "I would say you are two different people," interjects Olaf. "You're a man and Elsa is a woman, not to mention you both grew up in different places."

"Olaf there is more than just that," replies Kristian. "There's Elsa abilities and my um-." Kristian pauses for a moment. He realized in time what he was about to say and stopped himself. "You know about it Olaf."

"Oh, you mean your secrets," says Olaf. "With the way you look at it, it is a big difference. Yet if you look at it a different way, it also makes the both of you a lot alike."

"Olaf please," pleads Kristian. "You promised not to tell."

"Fine, I won't say another word," replies Olaf. "Besides we are not here to chat, we are here to explore and have some fun. So let's go and check out Arendelle!"

With that said, Olaf heads off in a direction waving at Kristian and Elsa to follow. After a brief pause Elsa follows and looks at Kristian and asks, "Are you coming?" Kristian relents and begins to move as well. Soon he is walking alongside of Elsa.

Elsa had been listening to the conversation between Olaf and Kristian. She was a little dumbfounded by what they had said. Now Elsa's curiosity was at its peak and she just had to ask Kristian a little about it.

"So these secrets of yours, you really are worried about me finding out about them?" asks Elsa.

"I don't think you would care anything for them," replies Kristian without looking at Elsa.

"Perhaps not," adds Elsa. "But I do find myself caring about you and I would like to see you not burdened by those secrets."

Kristian looks over at Elsa, perplexed and surprised by her admission. Elsa glances back over at Kristian and notices his confused expression. "What can I say, I do like you; despite some of the things that you have said to me," says Elsa.

"You really shouldn't care about me," replies Kristian. "I've been trying to create some distance between us."

"I kind of figured that is what was going on," says Elsa. "And you have managed to create some distance. However, part of me still wants to be a gracious hostess and honor a commitment I made to you last night. So today, I will be focused on enjoying my outing with Olaf; but you will be welcomed to come along and perhaps you will enjoy yourself as well."

Kristian stops walking and Elsa takes a few more steps before turning around and looking back at Kristian. They look at each other. Neither one of them is saying a word. Elsa is wondering what is going on in Kristian's mind. Elsa has a very somber look on her face. Kristian is uncertain about what is going on. In Elsa he sees an enemy and a friend. To Kristian both seem to be right and yet both seem to be wrong.

"I wish you would tell me what you are thinking," finally says Elsa.

"I wish I knew what I was thinking too," replies Kristian.

Just then Elsa and Kristian hear a shout coming from Olaf. "Hey, are you two going to come or what? There is a whole village here to explore!"

Elsa turns and looks at Olaf and replies, "I will be with you in a moment." Elsa then turns back towards Kristian and asks, "So will you be coming as well? Olaf does have a way of making things enjoyable."

Kristian looks past Elsa at Olaf. Olaf is waving back and smiling. Kristian begins to smile too. "I guess it will be nice to look at things in a different way," says Kristian.

Kristian begins to walk towards Elsa and Elsa brightens up. Soon they are once again walking alongside of each other, following Olaf. They eventually end up at the shops of craftsmen and artisans. Olaf has spent much time down in the village. He knows things about the shops that even Elsa doesn't even know about. Olaf is able to show things to Kristian and Elsa that are remarkable. They visit the blacksmith, the woodworkers shop, and the weaver.

On their journey through Arendelle, they get side tracked a bit and end up playing with some of the kids in the village. Elsa creates an ice slide in the middle of the street for the kids to use. It starts at one end of the street and ends up going along the ground and stops at the end of the block in a big snow pile. Eventually a brief snowball fight emerges with Elsa becoming the victor. Everyone is laughing at the end, including Kristian and Elsa. Afterwards, Elsa treats the kids to some hot drinks from a nearby street vendor. Kristian just watches Elsa and the kids, and he cannot help but admire how Elsa is able to interact with the children so freely.

With drinks in their hands; Kristian and Elsa head into a bakery with Olaf following. They end up picking up some sweet rolls, freely given to them by the baker. Then they leave the bakery and enjoy their rolls as they watch the ships in the harbor of Arendelle. As they watch the harbor, a few people warmly greet Elsa and Olaf and they both warmly return the greetings. Kristian sits back and watches Elsa and Olaf interact with the people. Once again Kristian sees the warmth of Elsa's spirit on display, and Olaf's interactions are delightful. Kristian cannot help but smile as he watches the both of them. After finish giving a cordial greeting, Elsa turns around and sees Kristian smiling.

Elsa approaches Kristian and asks with humor, "So what are you so happy about?"

"I just can't get over how well you interact with people," replies Kristian.

"As queen, I have to interact with lots of people. It's part of the job description," says Elsa cheekily.

"So does part of your job description include throwing snowballs at children," replies Kristian sarcastically.

"No, that is just one of the perks of the job," replies Elsa with a smile.

"It must be great to do whatever you want, when you want to," says Kristian.

"It is nice to get away, but there are responsibilities that I must take care of," replies Elsa. "Fortunately, I can arrange my schedule to accommodate days like today. What about you? How do you handle work and your free time?"

"Most of my work revolves around getting enough to eat to survive the winter months in the mountains," replies Kristian. "So my free time is limited during the warmer months. The winter months have more free time but the snow makes it difficult to go anywhere."

"So you being here is an odd event then?" asks Elsa.

"Yes, it is rare to find a paying job to supplement our normal livelihoods," replies Kristian.

* * *

><p>While Elsa and Kristian where talking by the docks, their interactions have not gone unnoticed by the Duke of Weselton. He had happened to see them walking around Arendelle and decided to keep an eye on them. The Duke has become frustrated by the fact that Kristian and Elsa were hanging out together. This was not what he wanted to happen. To the Duke, it looked as if Kristian and Elsa had become friends. Elsa thought that they had become friends. Kristian thought the same thing, but only when he forgot his responsibility to Goran and his job here in Arendelle.<p>

"What is Goran's companion up to?" says the Duke displeased with what he is seeing. "After I saw him in the palace, I would have thought Goran would have attempted something by now. Instead all I see is a friendship developing between these two."

The Duke of Weselton turns to his body guards and says, "I need you two to keep an eye on the queen and her companions. I want to know when the young man is separated from the others. For I need to have a word with him without anyone else knowing about it."

"Yes sire," reply the guards.

"If an opportunity arises, I will be having a meal in the local establishment. You can find me there," says the Duke of Weselton. The Duke then departs, leaving his guards to keep an eye on Kristian and the others.


	8. Chapter 8

Elsa, Kristian, and Olaf; after their brief rest by the harbor; begin to walk through the docks. As they walk, they look at the cargo that is coming in and going out. Some of the ships at the docks are fishing ships. These fishing ships are returning from their work and unloading their catches for the day. This trio then follows the fish catch to the warehouses nearby. At the warehouses; Elsa , Kristian, and Olaf find ice peddlers with their carts of ice. Here the fish are placed in the warehouses and packed with ice to help keep them fresh. Among these ice peddlers is Kristoff and Sven.

"Good day Kristoff!" calls out Elsa as they approach Kristoff.

"I'll say good afternoon myself," replies Kristoff. "There isn't much day left. Though I am surprised to see you out today and with Kristian no less, especially after how things ended last night."

"I am a bit surprised as well," replies Elsa. "But Olaf wanted to see the village again and I was willing to go with him. With Kristian, I offer the tour again but I thought he wouldn't be coming.

"Well, I probably wouldn't have come but it was hard to say no to Olaf," says Kristian.

"I know what you mean," replies Kristoff. "Olaf has this way of making everything seem better than what you think it is. Plus, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body."

"I don't have any bones," replies Olaf.

"No, but you do have one of the warmest hearts in the village," says Elsa with a smile.

"Giving people warm hugs will do that," replies Olaf.

"So how have you been enjoying our little village so far?" asks Kristoff as he looks at Kristian.

"It is a nice place," replies Kristian. "The people are friendly and I have two excellent guides to show me around."

No one knows the people of Arendelle better than Olaf," says Kristoff. "And Elsa knows the village as well as anybody. She also knows the history of Arendelle better than most."

"Well the history of Arendelle is also my history," adds Elsa. "My family is directly connected to the village. So Arendelle's history is the history of my family."

Just then a voice is heard coming from one of the warehouses. "Hey, Kristoff! Are you going to be working today or what?"

Kristoff turns towards the warehouse and calls, "I'll be there in a moment!"

As Kristoff turns back towards Elsa and the others, Elsa speaks up. "We should be letting you get back to your work and we should continue our tour."

"I should see you tonight at the palace then. When I go there to see Anna," says Kristoff as he takes a hold of his hand cart of ice and begins to wheel it off to the warehouse.

"Not if we smell you first!" calls out Olaf as Kristoff nears the fish warehouse.

After leaving the warehouses, Olaf leads Elsa and Kristian through the residential area of the village. Olaf introduces Kristian to some of the residence and Elsa explains the structures and their importance in the village. Eventually Olaf leads everyone back to the market area of the village. Once there, Elsa and Kristian enter a local inn establishment to have an early afternoon meal.

As Elsa and Kristian enter, the inn owner sees Elsa walk in and comes up to her. "Ah, your majesty," says the inn owner as he bows to greet Elsa. "What may I do for you in my humble establishment?"

"Hello Vidar, I am here to have one of your fine meals with my guest Kristian," says Elsa as she makes a motion with her hand to introduce Kristian. Kristian nods at Vidar and Vidar bows towards Kristian.

"So would you prefer a private table then?" asks Vidar.

"No, I would think some place that would be little more open to the room," replies Elsa. "Yet it should still have some privacy."

"I think I know just the table," says Vidar as he turns and walks towards a corner of the room. Elsa follows Vidar and Kristian follows Elsa. The table that Vidar takes them to is located in the back of the room. It is mostly open to the rest of the room except for a support pillar that partly blocks the table from others. "Will this table be satisfactory?" asks Vidar as he pulls a chair away from the table.

"It will be fine, Vidar," replies Elsa as she sits down in the chair. Kristian moves to the other side of the table and sits himself down in a chair opposite to Elsa.

Vidar moves to an open side of the table and asks, "Is there anything special that you would like to have to entertain you and your important emissary?"

"Why don't you surprise us with something delicious," replies Elsa. "And Kristian's importance is only to Olaf and me, not to Arendelle."

"Ah yes, but anyone that is important to you is also important to Arendelle as well," replies Vidar. "I will make this one of my finest meals for you and your chaperone." Vidar then bows as he leaves the table.

"I hope Vidar hasn't upset you with his mannerisms," apologies Elsa as she looks over at Kristian.

"It definitely was odd," replies Kristian. "But since I have been here in Arendelle, everything has been unexpected. I thought that I would be going through Arendelle barely noticed. Now it looks like I'm going to be the topic of the town."

"That would be my fault," says Elsa. She is sorry about Kristian circumstances but Elsa also has a slight smile on her face. "My importance in the village makes everyone I interact with important as well. I just hope that all this new fame of yours won't put you out of sorts."

A smile comes across Kristian face. He then replies, "It is not my fame that is the issue here. It's just my rotten luck that I'm having dinner with a famous celebrity."

Elsa smiles and says sarcastically, "You're just jealous that you are not me. You wish that you could be living in a palace and have servants waiting on every need that you have."

"There are parts of your life that I envy," says Kristian as he still smiles. "You have a beautiful home and friends, both of which I would enjoy having. However, the servants and the responsibility of your throne are things I would care to do without."

"Well you can't have the former without having some of the later," replies Elsa. "There sort of a matching set."

"That is a shame," says Kristian as he continues to smile. "If I could get rid of a few things, I could really enjoy being with the owner of that beautiful home."

"I wish that owner could get rid of a few things as well," replies Elsa. She still has a smile but it has faded a bit. "But like the home and the responsibility, the owner is a package deal."

While Elsa and Kristian were talking the body guards of the Duke came into the inn. They scan the room, and find where Kristian and Elsa are sitting. One of the guards also notices another individual sitting in a secluded part of the room. It is the Duke of Weselton. The Duke motions to the guards to come over to him.

When they approach he says, "I see that things are as bad I thought. There is no question that the queen and Goran's companion have become friends."

The Duke then takes a sip from his wine glass. When he does one of his guards speaks. "The queen and her two companions were never separated. The snowman only has just left their side when they came into this place."

"I can see that for myself," replies the Duke a little annoyed by the guard's obvious statement. "They are sitting just over there." Then with some disgusts he continues. "Look at the two of them. They are talking with each other like they are friends. They are even laughing with each other. I expected Goran's companion to be more hostile. Instead he is acting friendly and social with the queen. I'm concern that my plans may have been upset by this youth's indiscretions."

"Do you want us to go and retrieve the young man for you, so that you can speak with him?" asks one of the guards.

The Duke glares over at this guard and replies, "No, I still need to try and maintain some anonymity here. I need to get him alone without alerting the queen. If you two go over there and request his presence in front of the queen, she will realize that I am involved. This whole operation has to keep Queen Elsa out of the loop. I think we can use the inn keeper to help us get the young man's attention."

Just then, Vidar comes out of the kitchen area carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. He is followed by a serving lady carrying a tray of food. He approaches the table that Elsa and Kristian are sitting at. "Your meal has arrived," says Vidar as he sets a glass in front of Elsa and then Kristian. The serving lady copies Vidar's actions by placing a plate first in front of Elsa and then Kristian.

"I hope the meal will be up to your satisfaction," says Vidar.

"I'm sure that it will be, Vidar," replies Elsa. "It looks delicious and you have never disappointed me."

"I hope to continue your trust in me," says Vidar. "In the meantime, does this wine selection meet with your approval?" asks Vidar as he holds the bottle up to Elsa for her to examine.

"Yes, it will be fine," replies Elsa.

Just then, Kristoff appears in the doorway of the inn. Vidar, who is attending to Elsa and Kristian, sees him across the room. "I must excuse myself your majesty," says Vidar as he bows down to Elsa. "There are some matters that I must attend to. Some supplies I requested earlier today may have arrived and I must see to their proper placement."

"I understand perfectly, Vidar," replies Elsa. "We will be fine on our own. Go take care of what you need to and if we need anything we can ask one of your servers."

Vidar bows again and leaves the table heading towards the front door and Kristoff.

"Now is the time to get the innkeepers attention," says the Duke to his bodyguards. "One of you, go bring him here so that I may have a word with him." One of the guards gets up from the table and follows Vidar to the front door.

As Vidar nears the front door, he holds out both of his arms and speaks to Kristoff. "Ah, Kristoff! Are you here to deliver my order of ice?"

"Yes, I was able to get done at the docks early and thought that I would take care of you today instead of tomorrow," replies Kristoff.

"That is kind of you to do," says Vidar. "I also see you bothered to clean yourself up before entering my establishment." Then with a bit of sarcasm he says, "Or perhaps you are just on the way to the palace to visit a certain princess there."

Kristoff smiles and replies, "Everyone in the village knows that I frequently visit the palace and the reasons why I do. There is no secret about Princess Anna and me, and yes I am on my way to the palace this evening. So how many blocks do you want before I head there?"

"Two blocks will do for now," says Vidar. "When the temperature warms up I will be requiring more than two."

"You and everyone else," replies Kristoff. "When summer comes around, everyone needs more ice. I'll go out and bring the blocks in individually then."

Kristoff turns around and heads out the door to his cart. He grabs a pair of ice tongs and waits for Vidar. Vidar was about to follow Kristoff out the door but the Duke's guard calls out to him.

"Sir, I need a moment of your time," says the guard.

"Sorry young sir," replies Vidar. "I need to attend to my shipment of ice right now. If possible ask one of my servers for help otherwise you will have to wait until I'm done with my shipment."

"But sir!" exclaims the guard, as he watches Vidar walk out the door. He stands there for a moment before he returns to the Duke of Weselton.

"Did you notify the innkeeper of my desire to see him?" asks the Duke?

"Sorry sir," replies the guard. "The innkeeper was busy. He did suggest we ask one of the serving girls for help."

"I cannot use a serving girl for something like this," replies the Duke. "I should not be asked to settle for anything less than the innkeeper himself. We will wait and try again later for the proprietor of this inn."

Outside, Vidar is checking out the blocks of ice on Kristoff's cart. He wants to make sure that the blocks are of good enough quality for his establishment. "You have excellent quality here Kristoff," says Vidar.

"It's early in the delivery season," replies Kristoff. "So I have many fine blocks still available. Still I try to make my customers happy. I save the better blocks for customers like you."

"I appreciate the effort you put in for me," says Vidar. "Your dedication to your job helps to maintain my businesses reputation."

"I try to do what I can," replies Kristoff.

After looking over the cart of ice Vidar says, "Any of the blocks on the back of the cart will do. I'll let you decide which ones and I will show you where they should go."

"Not a problem," replies Kristoff as he takes the ice tongs he is carrying and grabs a block of ice with them. He then swings the block of ice through the air and up over his shoulder. The tongs land on his shoulder and the ice block hangs from the tongs behind his back. Kristoff then turns and follows Vidar back inside the inn.

As Vidar and Kristoff head to the back of the inn, where the kitchen is located, they are intercepted by both bodyguards of the Duke of Weselton. "Sir, our master insists that you meet with him," says one of the guards.

"I am sorry sirs, but I have a shipment that needs my attention," replies Vidar. "Once I have placed it in its appropriate spot I can then accommodate your wishes." Vidar then tries to move by the two guards, but one of the guards grabs a hold of Vidar's arm.

"I must insist sir," says the guard sternly as he holds onto Vidar. "Even if I have to do so by force, you will speak with our charge."

"Hey!" exclaim Kristoff, as he moves towards Vidar and the guard. However, the other guard steps in front of Kristoff. He stops Kristoff by place his hand on Kristoff's chest.

"I don't think you know who I am asking for," says the guard who is holding onto Vidar.

"And you don't know who it is you are making this demand on," replies Kristoff angrily. "And who you are making it in front of. Vidar has catered too many of the important people in Arendelle including Queen Elsa, and I am dating her sister Princess Anna. So if you want to continue this action, you can expect some sort of action from the royal household."

Both of the guards then back off. The last thing they want to do is anger the Queen of Arendelle. They have already witnessed what she is capable of when they were here two days ago during the spring festival. The last thing they want is her attention on them right now.

"I will try and be quick about my duties sirs," says Vidar trying to be polite. "You can tell your employer that I will be with him as soon as I am capable, but I have duties that I must attend to first." With that said Vidar and Kristoff head off to the kitchen.

The guards reluctantly return to the Duke of Weselton without Vidar. The Duke is displeased when he sees the guards' failure at bringing back the innkeeper. "You return without the innkeeper," says the Duke. "What reason do you have for this failure?"

"It was the safest move we could come up with," replies one of the guards as both of them take a seat on either side of the Duke.

"If we had pressured Vidar anymore, the queen would have been notified of our presence," replies the second guard. "Since you didn't want the queen to know, the prudent move was to back off of the innkeeper."

The Duke has a scowl on his face as he takes a sip from his wine glass. "Your judgment seems to be sound," says the Duke as he places his wine glass down. "However, this means the conversation that I want to have with Goran's companion is not going to take place."

"It may yet happen, sire," interrupts the first guard. "Before we departed from Vidar, he said he would come once his dealings with the ice peddler were completed."

"If the innkeeper doesn't show up soon, Goran's companion and the queen will be leaving," says the Duke. He is annoyed with how things are going. The Duke of Weselton expected some sort of action by now from either Goran or Goran's companion, Kristian.

Just about the time that Kristian and Elsa finish with their meal, Vidar comes out of the kitchen. He has left Kristoff alone to handle the ice, so he can attend to the impatient customer of his. Vidar heads towards the last location he knew where the guards were last seen. As he approaches that spot, one of the guards stands up from the table and motions to Vidar to come over. Vidar moves towards the table with the three men around it.

As he approaches the table, Vidar says, "I must apologies for not being able to respond to your request sooner, but I have many duties that require my attention from time to time."

"Your disregard for my needs leaves much to be desired," replies the Duke. "Back in Weselton, I would not have to wait for service from the proprietor of an establishment."

Vidar bows to the Duke and replies, "Was not the food to your liking?"

"It was agreeable," replies the Duke.

"And the wine as well. Was it not a decent vintage?" asks Vidar.

The Duke takes a sip from his glass and places it back on the table. Then he says, "The wine is decent for such an establishment. I can't complain about it."

"Were not the servers available to you during your stay and could they not attend to your needs?" says Vidar politely to the Duke.

"The servers were sufficient in their duties," replies the Duke. "However, someone of my standing should not have to be dignified with speaking to serving girls for help."

"I am available for your wishes now my lord," says Vidar as he bows. "What do you desire of me?"

"There is a young man sitting with the queen," says the Duke. "I wish for you to deliver a message to him. I want to have a private word without letting everyone in the inn know."

"I will notify him at once my lord," replies Vidar as he bows and walks away from the table.

Vidar heads towards the table where Elsa and Kristian are sitting. On his way, Vidar has a quick work with one of the serving girls. Meanwhile, Elsa and Kristian are having a laugh. Elsa has been talking about the people in her life and the current person she is talking about is Olaf.

Kristian suppresses his laughter and then replies to the current topic of Olaf. "Olaf is certainly a funny snowman."

"He certainly is," replies Elsa as her laughter is replaced with a bright smile. "He has helped to bring joy back into my life and has been a very good emissary for me to visitors. I am glad that I decided to build him and to keep him around."

"So why did you build Olaf?" asks Kristian.

"It was during the time I ran away from Arendelle because of my abilities being revealed," replies Elsa. "When I got to the top of the mountain, there was no one around and I felt free to experiment with my magic. Olaf was something that my sister and I built when we were kids. We actually made him in the palace by rolling the snowballs from snow that I had made. It was one of the happier times of my life. I was feeling nostalgic; and so I recreated Olaf up on the mountain, totally with my magic powers. At the time, I didn't realize that I had actually brought him to life."

"That must have been quite a surprise for you," amuses Kristian.

"That event was full of surprises," replies Elsa. "First seeing my sister up on the mountain, then Olaf walking in on us, and finally learning about what my powers had done back in Arendelle. Each surprise seemed to be bigger than the last one."

"I can understand that feeling," replies Kristian in a much more somber tone. "The day that I lost my mother, felt like each event was bigger than the last one."

For a moment, both Elsa and Kristian are quiet. The conversation has taken on a sadder tone. Then Elsa speaks up. "It is a sad event to lose a parent, but at least you still have the memories of happier times with your mother. Her love will always be a part of you."

Kristian looks up into Elsa's face and smiles. "In some ways you remind me of her," says Kristian.

Elsa smiles in return and replies, "I hope it's in a good way."

Kristian continues to smile and replies, "It is in the best way possible."

Just then Vidar walks up to the table. "Has everything been satisfactory," says Vidar as he gives a slight bow.

"Yes everything has been wonderful," replies Elsa. "You have delivered another excellent meal."

"I try to do my best to please," replies Vidar. "Now I must apologize for interrupting your conversation, but there is a gentleman that wishes to have a private word with you," says Vidar as he glances over at Kristian.

With displeasure but trying to be polite Elsa replies, "Can you please tell the gentleman to call at the palace tomorrow morning? You can tell him that I am currently engaged and wish not to be bothered right now."

"My apologies your majesty," says Vidar. "But the request was not directed towards you. It was meant for your companion Kristian." Vidar always tries to remember the names of his guests and anyone with the queen is always someone significant.

Elsa is shocked by the fact that the request wasn't directed at her. Elsa looks over at Kristian with a puzzled looked on her face, but what she sees is Kristian looking very white from fear. Kristian believes that the man is Goran. That could mean trouble for Elsa and himself. Kristian had taken his gloves off to eat and he was holding a glass on the table with his arm stretched out. Kristian's hands had flamed up because of his fear. One hand was hidden under the table and the other hand was partly hidden by the red wine in the glass. The flame that was in the hand holding the glass caused a dramatic temperature change in the glass. This change was more than the glass could handle. It fractured spilling its contents over the table and Kristian's hand. It causes a slight hiss as it puts out the flame on Kristian's hand. Elsa and Vidar are surprised by the breaking glass and hiss and look over at the mess.

"Are you alright and what happened?" asks a concerned Elsa.

"I'm fine," replies Kristian as he grabs a napkin. He didn't use it to dry his hand but to cover it up. Kristian managed to smother the flame out on his other hand before bringing it above the table. "I was just surprised that I was asked for, that's all."

"Do you need help or something?" asks a concerned Elsa. "You looked pretty scared for a moment. If you are in trouble, I can always call on the palace guards for help."

"No, that's not necessary," replies an uneasy Kristian as he gets up from the table and quickly puts on his gloves before his hands could possibly flame up again. "It most likely has something to do with the business that I am here for. I should really go see what he wants."

"Alright, but perhaps I should go with you in case you need something," offers Elsa.

"No!" exclaims Kristian in fear. Elsa is taken aback by Kristian's reaction. Seeing Elsa's response makes Kristian compose himself and then he continues. "That won't be necessary, Elsa. Besides, the request was for a private conversation. I'll be just fine and will try to finish as quickly as I can."

"Very well, then I will meet you outside when you are done," replies Elsa.

Vidar escorts Kristian away from the table and Elsa watches them leave for a moment. Then Elsa turns her attention to the broken glass on table. "That's odd," says a puzzled Elsa. "The table seems to be dry." Elsa then picks up and examines the napkin that Kristian was using. "This is dry as well. I'm certain there was some liquid in that glass."

Meanwhile, Kristian is following Vidar with apprehension. Kristian expects to find Goran, at his eventual destination. Once he reaches his destination and is able to see who it is he going to meet, Kristian is somewhat relieved. However, Kristian is still uneasy. Now seated at the table before him is the Duke of Weselton and his two bodyguards. The Duke had come to his mountain home, to hire Goran to do away with Queen Elsa. Now the Duke motions for Kristian to sit down as Vidar leaves the two men to have their discussion.

"You're taking a bit of a risk to talk to me," says Kristian as he sits down at the table.

The Duke nods with his head towards the two guards to indicate that he wishes to be alone with Kristian. The guards get up and move to another table. "I felt that it was necessary," replies a scornful Duke. "Especially since my money is being spent on you consorting with the Queen of Arendelle."

"None of your money has been spent on the queen," replies Kristian. "It's been the queen that's been paying. Your money has only been spent on supplies and the trip to get here."

"So far it seems to be wasted money," counters the Duke. "It has been a full two days since I first saw you here, and the queen is still unharmed. Instead, all I see is you being friendly with the queen; and paling around with her and her freaky snowman."

"Again, it wasn't my idea to be doing that," replies Kristian coldly. Ever since Kristian had met the Duke, he had disliked the man. "It was the queen's sister that initially set events in motion."

"You shouldn't have gone along with it," says the Duke with displeasure. "You're just wasting time fooling around when you had an opportunity to strike at the queen. I'm not paying you to play around. I expect action."

"You're not paying me to do anything. You hired Goran not me," replies Kristian. "The only orders I have to follow are Goran's, and his orders were to keep an eye on Elsa. Hanging out with her has made that assignment easy."

"Where is Goran anyway?" questions the Duke angrily. "Why is he not here taking action then? Have I hired a coward to handle this creature?"

"We are not fools sir," replies Kristian hotly. "Once we found out that she was living openly in Arendelle, we knew it wasn't going to be an easy matter to take the queen on. The people here would be willing to defend her, and Elsa's powers alone would be difficult enough to handle. Goran is out in the mountains working on a plan that should be able to separate Queen Elsa from her people."

"I hope this plan of his will be occurring soon," says the Duke as he takes a sip of wine. "I'm becoming very impatient with the two of you. I need something to happen before I have to travel to Weselton to inform the king about matters here in Arendelle."

"Well, I can't tell you when it will happen," replies Kristian. "I'm waiting here just like you. It might only be a few days or it could take over a week."

"A week?" questions the Duke with displeasure. "I'm not happy waiting over a week to resolve this matter. Someone of my standing should be spending his nights at the palace as an honorary quest of the royal family. Instead, I have to put up with a modest inn in a small kingdom; because a dangerous monstrous being dwells and rules here. I'd prefer seeing this unnatural threat removed permanently, sooner than later. That should be the fate of all such devilish beings."

Kristian had a difficult time listening to the Duke talk before, but this last statement made Kristian snap. "What in the world, do you have against such unique and amazing people anyway?" asks an angry Kristian as he slaps his gloved hands against the table.

The Duke is surprised a bit by Kristian's reaction. "How can you be sympathetic to such an unnatural beings?" asks the Duke. "Unless, you have become smitten with the queen. She has managed to twist your mind from knowing what should be natural to accepting what is unholy, just like she has twisted the minds of everyone here. The queen has even managed to place my station in life at risk. I mean to rectify that. So if you cannot overcome her powers over you and cannot complete your charter of our deal, then it won't be just the queen's life that will be in jeopardy."

Kristian remains angry from the last comment the Duke made. Kristian stands up and leans on the table as he looks at the Duke. "You think you can try and threaten me!" sternly says Kristian.

"There are other mercenaries out there besides you two," replies the Duke uneasily. As the Duke was speaking, his two guards have come to the table and are standing on each side of Kristian. Kristian stands up right as he notices their presence. Then in a more calm voice the Duke says, "I would be well within my rights to defend myself against any sort of attack. So think carefully before you do something that you will regret."

Kristian doesn't like the situation he has gotten himself in. For a moment he just looks at the Duke. Then with a deep breath, Kristian takes his seat again and the two guards return to their separate table. However, the disturbance at the table has caught the attention of someone else.

Kristoff was just coming back into the inn with the second block of ice for Vidar, when the commotion at the Duke's table caught his eye. Kristoff could not see the Duke but he could see his bodyguards and Kristian standing. So Kristoff moved closer to the table to listen in on the conversation.

"You don't have to worry about Elsa's powers over me," says Kristian coldly. "However, you are wrong about who the queen is. Of the two of you, you are more of the monster than she is."

"You have lost all sense of what is right," replies the Duke. "I am of royal blood, and I am the uncle to the King of Weselton. I deserve respect due to my position there. You will be well advised to realize that I am the closest thing this village will have to nobility. In time the people here will see that as well. Right now, all I need form you is for you to do your job. You think you can handle that?"

"All I have to do is keep an eye on Elsa, and that I can do without any difficulty," replies Kristian.

"And what about later when the real deed needs to be done?" asks the Duke. "Will you be able to do your assignment then?"

"I am loyal to Goran," responds Kristian. "I will follow his orders to the best of my abilities."

"I hope your abilities won't be diminished by your sympathy for the queen," says the Duke as he questions Kristian's commitment to Elsa's demise.

Kristian stands up at the table and then addresses the Duke. "May I have your leave then? I do have a job to do."

The Duke looks at Kristian for a while. Finally, the Duke says, "Very well, you have my permission to proceed with your duties."

Without bowing to the Duke, Kristian turns away and walks towards the outside door. Kristoff, who had been listening to the conversation, begins to follow him. However, Kristoff had not delivered his second block of ice; and Vidar stops Kristoff before he gets to the door.

"Kristoff, what are you doing?" ask Vidar. "You haven't given me my second block of ice yet. You just brought it in and now you are taking it back out."

"Oh sorry," replies Kristoff. "Something had come up that distracted me. Is it all right if I finish this later?"

"Please Kristoff, you have already come this far. It will only take a few minutes to finish your work here, and then you can be on your way. Can't this distraction of yours wait for a moment?" says Vidar.

I, um, guess it can wait for a while," replies Kristoff. "All right, I can finish up for you before I leave."

Meanwhile the Duke of Weselton's bodyguards have returned to the Duke's table. As they sit down, the Duke says, "This boy's heart is not into this adventure. He will most likely be a liability to Goran and his plans. No matter, even if they fail, I can make the attempt work for me to convince the queen to open up a dialogue."


	9. Chapter 9

As Kristian exits the inn, he stops out in the street and takes a sigh of disappointment. He is glad to get away from the Duke, but the Duke had reminded Kristian why he was here in Arendelle. Kristian glances down the street at the palace as he contemplates what he is to be a part of. Kristian closes his eyes and whispers to himself, "Kristian, what have you gotten yourself into? Why did the ice witch have to be Elsa? She is kind and caring and the people here treat her like a beloved ruler."

Kristian opens his eyes again and looks up into the mountains. He watches the spot on the mountain where the clouds linger, the spot where Goran's monsters are building a massive mound of snow and ice. "I have to be loyal to Goran," quietly says Kristian. "He saved my life and gave me shelter. I owe him for that. He's the closes person I have to a family. How can I do anything but help him in his mission?"

A short distance away is Sven, Kristoff's reindeer, with Kristoff's ice cart. Elsa is with this reindeer. While outside, Elsa had bought some carrots from a street vender. Elsa stuck most of the carrots on the cart but she was feeding Sven one of the carrots. After giving the carrot to Sven, Elsa looks towards the inn and sees Kristian standing there looking up into the mountains. So Elsa begins to walk towards Kristian.

"So did your little talk go well?" asks Elsa as she approaches with a smile.

Kristian looks over at Elsa with a blank look on his face. "The talk happened, that's all I really can say about it," says Kristian with almost no emotion. To Elsa, the light and fun had gone out of Kristian's face. Besides a few instances during the day, Elsa thought that Kristian had enjoyed the day. Now Kristian has gone dark on her and Elsa figured it had to be the meeting that Kristian had.

Not sure how to proceed, Elsa decided that it would be a good thing to head back to the palace. "So if you are not too busy at the moment, perhaps you could walk me home?" asks Elsa as politely as she can.

Kristian looks at Elsa. Kristian has a turmoil of emotions raging inside of him. After a moment, Kristian decides that his job is to keep an eye on Elsa. Without indicating any emotion he says, "Sure, I can see you home."

Soon Elsa and Kristian are walking down the street back towards the palace. Elsa looks over to Kristian and sees him staring straight ahead. For some distance no one says anything. Finally Elsa asks, "So your business is not going well?"

"What?" ask Kristian as he is surprised by the question.

"The meeting in the inn that you had, you said that it had to do with the job that you are on," responds Elsa. "It must have not been very good news to put you in a sorrowful mood."

"Oh," says Kristian. After a slight pause he continues, "It was my employer. He isn't happy with the progress that Goran and I have made. The job has turned out to be a lot trickier than first anticipated."

"Perhaps there is something I can do to help you out," says Elsa.

Kristian suddenly stops walking. He is surprised by the comment. He knows if Elsa knew what the job was there would be no way she would willingly allow it to happen. Elsa stops too and turns around. She is puzzled by Kristian's reaction.

"The offer is genuine," adds Elsa. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I were not sincere about it."

"You would not want to help with this job, Elsa," replies Kristian. "I'm not looking forward to the completion of this job myself, and I'm disliking it more as time progresses."

"Can't you just quit the job then, if you dislike it that much?" asks Elsa. "Especially, since it is troubling you."

"It's not that simple," replies Kristian. "I can't just leave Goran. He is nearly family to me, and Goran is committed to doing this job. Besides, money has already changed hands."

"I know that family is very important, and I would not want you to do anything that would ruin yours. However, one thing that members of a true family have is love for one another. So if you decide to quit the job, Goran should still care about you; even if he doesn't understand your decision," says Elsa as she tries to offer some advice. "As for the money part, I could provide you the funds to pay back your employer if you need it."

"You would be willing to do that without any compensation?" asks Kristian.

"Oh, I didn't say that," says Elsa with a silly lint in her voice. "You could say some of it will be for services rendered and you could do something else for the rest." With that said Elsa turns around and starts walking back to the palace.

"Wait a second!" exclaims Kristian as he starts to run after Elsa. As Kristian catches up to Elsa, he then asks her, "What do you mean services rendered? I haven't done anything for you so far."

"You have done more than you realize," replies Elsa. "Today, you have visited many of the sights of Arendelle with me. Hanging out with you and Olaf brought some real joy into my life."

"I would have thought Olaf alone could have done that," interrupts Kristian.

"Yes, he can be quite fun to be around," replies Elsa. "However, you provided something that Olaf could not. You provided me with hope."

"Hope?" questions Kristian. "I wouldn't think you would need hope for anything. Your life seems to be filled with anything anybody would want."

"My life has been blessed in many ways," replies Elsa. "But I was beginning to feel like I would never be able to find someone who would want to be with me. You have shown me that there might be someone out there for me, for that I am very grateful."

"I wasn't trying to give you that kind of impression," says Kristian as he is a little surprised by the comment.

"I know you weren't," replies Elsa. "You made it clear last night that you weren't interested in establishing anything long term. Yet you have made me feel like I could get close to someone; even if this time, with you, it is for only a short period."

As Elsa and Kristian were talking, they had walked to the front gates of the palace where Kristian had stopped walking. Elsa stops as well. "I should probably take my leave then," says Kristian as he is unsure of what to say or do.

"Yes, I suppose so," replies Elsa. "It has been a full day, hasn't it? I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I have."

"These last few days have been far and beyond anything I had expected," replies Kristian. "There certainly were some enjoyable moments in all of that time."

"I am glad to hear that," says Elsa. "Maybe you could show up at the palace tomorrow. I mean, if you aren't too busy or anything," says Elsa as she is uneasy about the suggestion that she made.

"I don't know, I will see what tomorrow brings," replies Kristian. Elsa's idea makes him uncomfortable after the argument he had with the Duke of Weselton. "Well, good bye then," says Kristian as he slowly turns away to leave.

"Good bye," says Elsa as she waves farewell. Elsa watches Kristian walk away, but after he takes a few steps she speaks up. "Maybe you would care to come in and have a cup of tea," inquires Elsa. Kristian turns around and looks back at Elsa with some surprise. "There still are a few hours of daylight left in the day and I thought that you could rest and relax in the comfort of the palace."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to spend more time with me?" replies Kristian partly in jest.

Elsa smiles devilishly and replies, "Well, that might be part of the reason too; but would that be such a bad thing."

"No," sighs Kristian as he looks back towards the mountains as he contemplates his next move. After a short pause he continues, "Alright, I guess you've got me for a little while longer."

Elsa smiles brightly as she says, "I am certain that we will find something to help us wind down the day."

Elsa steps sideways to Kristian as she makes a gesture for him to walk onto the palace grounds. Elsa doesn't want to make the mistake of last night by grabbing onto Kristian. The physical contact of last night seemed to be too much for Kristian. This day, Elsa tried to avoid any contact initiated by her.

Kristian begins to walk by, and as he does Kristian places his gloved hand on Elsa's shoulder and motions for her to walk alongside of him, which she does. As Elsa and Kristian near the front doors a figure appears in the doorway. It is Anna coming out to greet them.

"I am so glad that you made it home," says Anna. "I was beginning to worry a little about you."

"Oh Anna," replies Elsa. "I'm fine and I am quite capable of taking care of myself. You really shouldn't worry."

"I know I shouldn't," adds Anna. "But ever since the comments the Duke made, I've been a little edgy about your safety. You're my sister and I would like to keep you around a little longer."

"Don't worry, I plan on being around for some time," reassures Elsa. "And I appreciate the concern, but the Duke's comments were just hollow statements."

"They may not be," quietly says Kristian as he listens in on the conversation.

"What was that?" ask Elsa as she turns to look at Kristian.

"Oh nothing," replies Kristian as regrets his two cents. "I just wouldn't put anything past what the Duke might do."

Anna then steps forward and greets Kristian. Hello again, Kristian," says Anna. "I see that Elsa got you to go on a trip through Arendelle. So did you enjoy the journey through our little place in the world?"

"It's a pleasant little village; and in some ways, it was really remarkable," replies Kristian.

"Then you did have fun," says Anna. Then in an apologetic tone she says, "Kristian, I am sorry about what happened last night. I didn't like seeing Elsa upset like that and I took my anger out on you."

"Don't be too apologetic. Your anger was warranted," replies Kristian. "I did upset Elsa but that evening was a misunderstanding from the start."

"The misunderstanding would be my fault," interjects Elsa as she turns to look at Kristian. "You did say that you would be leaving when your work was done, but I tried to make your visit to the palace something more."

"You could throw some of the blame my way as well," adds Anna. "I was very insistent about the dinner and wanted to see Elsa happy. I just thought you could provide her some happiness."

"If you want to keep the apologies going, I could apologize for coming to Arendelle in the first place," says Kristian partly in jest but it also was with a serious nature.

"There is no need to go that far with the apologies," says Elsa with a smile. "It has been an adventure since your arrival, both good and bad. I, for instants, have enjoyed your company today."

"I can't really complain about today either," replies Kristian with a smile. "It is not every day that I get a guided tour of a village that is unknown to me."

Kristian and Elsa are looking at each other, and both of them have grins on their faces. Anna sees this and begins to smile as well. She knows this means that Elsa has made a connection with Kristian. In Anna's mind, maybe things can still work out between the both of them.

"So what are your plans now?" asks Anna. "Are you going to have dinner in the palace tonight?"

"We already had a meal at Vidar's inn," replies Elsa as she looks over at her sister. "Right now, I've invited Kristian for some tea. You are welcome to join us."

Anna looks over at Kristian and with a devilish smile she replies, "That's all right, I'm waiting for Kristoff. You two can go off without me and have some fun."

Elsa begins to lead Kristian into the palace when Anna calls after them. "It certainly looks like it was a terrific spring celebration for the both of us!" exclaims Anna cheekily.

Elsa looks back at her sister and sees her smiling and waving. Elsa gives Anna a silly scowl to indicate her disapproval of the comment, but also not totally denying it either. After seeing Elsa's reaction, Anna giggles a little at the face that her sister has made. Shortly, Elsa closes the front doors of the palace; leaving Anna outside and once again Elsa is alone with Kristian.

"So where to now?" asks Kristian. "Are we heading to the kitchen first?"

"No, the private dining room often has a kettle brewing this time of day," replies Elsa. "We will head there first."

"So back there with your sister, what did Anna mean? When she said it looked like a terrific spring celebration," asks Kristian.

"It's nothing really," replies Elsa. She is worried about making Kristian uncomfortable about its meaning. "It is something Anna was saying when we both were getting ready for the spring celebration. Anna just wanted to make this one special for her and decided that she would try and include me in it too."

"So Anna thinks that this celebration was pretty great," comments Kristian.

"It had its ups and downs; but I would say that for the most part, it was pretty good," replies Elsa.

Elsa and Kristian have reached the dining room and Elsa proceeds to head to a glass cupboard and pulls out two cups for them to use. Next, Elsa moves to the kettle and swings it away from the fire. Without thinking, she picks the hot kettle up and proceeds to pour two cups of tea. Kristian comes up behind her as she is about to turn and place the kettle back on its hook. "I can take that," says Kristian.

Elsa is a little surprised to see Kristian right behind her and that close as well. "Thank you," replies Elsa to Kristian's gesture as she hands then kettle to him.

Kristian proceeds to hang the kettle over the fire. This time it is Elsa's turn to surprise Kristian. As Kristian turns around, Elsa is standing there holding the two cups of tea. She stretches out one of the cups to offer it to Kristian. "Thanks," replies Kristian to the offering of the tea.

"You're Welcome," replies Elsa. "Why don't we head up to the sitting room in the family quarters? There is a comfortable couch up there and a good view out the window overlooking the fiord waters and parts of Arendelle."

"The family quarters?" questions Kristian. "Isn't that more for private guests and the family?"

"You are my guest, and besides the family quarters are not always isolated from the rest of palace life anyway," replies Elsa. "I've sometimes socialized with royal dignitaries up there, but only with ones that I like and that I have a good rapport with."

"And you think I fit into that criteria," replies Kristian with a smile.

"We do get along well. So yes, I do think you deserve the same kind of opportunity as any other favored dignitary."

Kristian smiles at this comment and says, "Calling a mountain man equal to a royal dignitary is not fair to the dignitary."

"Some could also say that it is not fair to the mountain man," replies Elsa with a smile. "After all, some of these royal personages are all too full of themselves, many not realizing how unimportant they really are. The average laborer has more effect on a kingdom than they do. So shall we go then?"

"Lead the way, your royal majesty," says Kristian sarcastically as he gives a bow to Elsa.

"Oh stop," replies Elsa humorously. "You're almost as bad Kristoff."

Elsa then leads Kristian through the palace and up the stairs to the sitting room. Once they arrive, Elsa is disappointed. The fire had not been lit yet. Normally the fire would be set ablaze after the evening meal was served, but Elsa and Kristian had eaten early and arrived before the normal meal time.

"I had hoped that the fire would be going in here," says a disappointed Elsa. "I'll have to go see the servants to have them get the fire burning."

"There's no need for that," replies Kristian. "Starting a fire is a simple matter. I can do it in no time."

"Then will you do us the favor?" asks Elsa politely.

"Of course," replies Kristian as he hands his cup of tea to Elsa.

Elsa moves over and takes a seat on the couch as Kristian walks over to the fireplace. Kristian takes some of the wood nearby and positions the wood in the fireplace. Kristian then takes off both of his gloves and lays them down on the hearth stone. Now Kristian lays both hands on one of the larger logs and slowly emits a flame from both hands. The fire flickers lowly from his hands. Then shortly, the fire begins to creep from each hand towards the other hand. Once the small flames reach each other, they combine and grow in strength. Now Kristian releases his hands from the log and the fire is going.

Elsa, who has been sitting on the couch, could not see what was going on. All that she could see was the back of Kristian. However, Elsa was intrigued by the small amount of movement that Kristian was using. Once Kristian was done, he picks up his gloves and puts them back on. Kristian then starts to walk over to Elsa to take his cup back from her.

Outside, Anna has walked out onto the bridge that leads away from the palace. She is waiting to see if Kristoff will show up. While she waits, Anna takes in the scenery. A few ships are at the docks, one of them is being unloaded. Also most of the fishing ships have moved away from the pier. A few of the fishing ships can be seen moored along the bank of the fiord. However, most of the fishing ships have gone to private wooden piers located elsewhere in the fiord. As Anna takes in the view, she enjoys the warmth of the sun and the fresh smell of the air. Anna closes her eyes as she allows her other senses to take in all that is around her. Anna smiles as she does this. Seeing her sister enjoying herself has lifted Anna's spirits, and now Elsa is safe inside the palace as well. Now Anna sees no need to worry about some idiotic threat from the Duke of Weselton.

Just then, Anna hears a male voice. "You seem to be very happy this evening."

Anna looks in the direction the voice has come from and sees Kristoff walking down the bridge towards her. "Kristoff!" exclaims Anna. "I am always happy when I see you, but I am also happy about the spring weather today and I am happy for Elsa. She has found a guy that she can hang out with."

"You are talking about Kristian aren't you?" inquires Kristoff.

"Yes, he has been perfect for Elsa," replies Anna. "I rarely see her enjoy herself with anybody besides you, Olaf, and me."

"I'm afraid that her enjoyment with Kristian is going to be short lived," says Kristoff seriously.

"Why, what do you mean by that?" asks Anna as she becomes concerned by Kristoff's tone. "Is there something that you know about Kristian?"

"I don't know everything; but while I was delivering ice to Vidar, I overheard the end of a heated discussion between Kristian and the Duke of Weselton," replies Kristoff.

"The Duke?!" exclaims a confused Anna. "Why would he be talking to the Duke of Weselton?"

"I'm not entirely sure what they are up too, but Kristian is apparently working for the Duke," replies Kristoff.

"That means that..., Elsa," says Anna as fear enters her mind. She turns and begins to run towards the palace.

"Anna, wait!" shouts Kristoff as he starts to run after Anna.

Anna looks over her shoulder as she is running and replies, "If Kristian is working for the Duke then that means that Elsa is in danger!"

"Not at this moment!" says Kristoff as he partly catches up to Anna. "Elsa will be fine for the time being."

"How can you be so sure about that?" asks Anna as she stops near the main door to the palace. "You don't know about the threat that the Duke made. Kristian has to be here to fulfill that threat."

"Maybe he is or maybe he is not," replies Kristoff. "All I do know is that Kristian is working for another guy, and that guy is working for the Duke. Right now, all Kristian is supposed to be doing is to watch Elsa. So right now, Elsa will be safe."

Anna calms down as she accepts Kristoff's explanation, but her concern still remains. "Elsa still needs to be told about this, and I will feel better if we tell her as soon as possible," says Anna.


	10. Chapter 10

Back in the sitting room, Kristian has just finished lighting the fire in the fire place; and he is walking back towards Elsa. As he nears, Elsa hands Kristian his cup of tea back to him. As she does this, Elsa says, "That was interesting. You got the fire going with almost no effort. I wish some of the servants here could be as efficient as you were just now. Some of them can make a real chore of it sometimes. Could you possible show then how you are able to do it so easily?"

Kristian, with his cup in hand, sits down on the couch. Kristian looks into the fire as he replies, "That is sort of one of my secrets; but even if I showed it to them, they wouldn't be able to duplicate it."

"It's that difficult to do then?" asks Elsa as she looks over at Kristian.

Kristian looks over at Elsa and can't help smile when he sees her eyes. "For me, the trick is fairly simple; but only someone with my talent would be able to reproduce it."

"Perhaps I should hire you in that capacity then," says Elsa partly in jest. "There are a lot of fireplaces in the palace. Someone with your talent could come in real handy."

Kristian likes the fact that someone would actually want to have him around, but he also thinks that his magic would not allow such a thing to happen. "I'm afraid, that I am use to the openness of the mountains. Living here would be too confining for me," replies Kristian with a hint of sarcasm.

"There are more rooms in the palace than we have the need for," says Elsa cheekily. She gets up from the couch and walks over to the fire place. Standing near the fire, Elsa takes a sip from her cup. Then she says, "Besides, you don't have to live at the palace." Elsa turns and makes a gesture towards the window. "If you like living in the mountains, we do have some nearby that could be to your liking."

Kristian turns around on the couch to look at the window. Elsa, after placing her cup on the mantel, then moves away from the fireplace and towards the window. Once there, Elsa opens the window and leans on the window sill. Kristian then places his cup down on an end table and gets up and walks over to the window and stands next to Elsa. He also looks out the window. Elsa looks over to Kristian and smiles. "So what do you think?" asks Elsa lightly.

"What I have experienced, so far of the country around here, does make for a pleasant feeling," replies Kristian as he looks out the window. "Yet, I can't just get up and move to another area."

"Something is keeping you tied to your home then," says Elsa in a mellow tone as she looks out the window. "A girlfriend perhaps?"

"No, there is no girl," replies Kristian as he looks over at Elsa. "There is only Goran, and the fact that trouble seems to follow me where ever I go."

Elsa looks back at Kristian and says, "If you lived here, you would have the protection on my kingdom and Goran would be welcomed here as well."

Kristian smiles as he looks into Elsa's eyes. "You really are a queen, Elsa, and not just in title alone but in your warm personality."

Elsa beams brightly from the comment and a hint of redness enters her cheeks as she blushes a little. Just then, both Kristian and Elsa hear Anna calling out. "Elsa, are you up here? There is something I need to talk with you about."

Elsa turns around and looks towards the door. With disappointment she says to herself, "Anna, do you have to be interrupting now?"

Kristian looks towards the door, and then he leans out the window and looks down. Once Kristian pulls his head back into the room, he asks, "Do you want to avoid your sister?"

"What?" asks a puzzled Elsa.

"If you want to avoid Anna, I need to know before she enters the room. I can take you away from here if you wish," says Kristian as he reaches into a satchel that he has been carrying from his camp.

Elsa hesitates for a moment. Then Anna is heard outside the door. "Elsa, are you in there?"

Elsa looks at the door. Then she looks back at Kristian. "Yes, let's leave Anna behind," says Elsa.

So Kristian wraps an arm around Elsa's waist. "Then hang on to me," says Kristian as he pulls Elsa towards the window.

As she is pulled towards the window, Elsa wraps her arms around Kristian's neck. Just as the knob on the door clicks from being turned. The door is pulled open and Anna steps into the room. "Elsa?" asks Anna as she looks into the room. However, Anna sees no one in the room as she scans over it. Yet, Anna's attention is soon drawn to the fire; and there she sees the cup sitting on the mantel. Anna then moves to the mantel to pick up the cup. As she examines it, Anna notices the leftover tea in the cup.

"Someone has been in here," says Anna to herself as she examines the room more closely. That is when she notices the second cup near the couch. Anna moves quickly over to the cup and looks into it. Then Anna places the first cup next to the second cup and says, "Elsa and Kristian were here, but where are they now?" With a loss of what to do next, Anna moves closer to the open window and looks out the window. "I do hope Elsa is alright," says a concerned Anna to herself.

Unbeknownst to Anna, Elsa and Kristian are hanging from a rope just below her. The rope is attached to a metal hook, which is hung on the window sill of the open window. Elsa has her eyes tightly shut, and she is hanging tightly onto Kristian's neck. Elsa was scared when Kristian jumped out the window with her, and now they both hang a couple of feet below the window.

"You alright?" asks Kristian as he hangs with one gloved hand on the rope and the other hand around Elsa's back.

"Yes, I'm fine," replies Elsa as she is breathing heavily. "That was exciting."

"The excitement is not over yet," adds Kristian. "We still have several more feet to go. It is a good thing that I'm wearing leather gloves." Kristian loosens his grip on the rope and begins to slide down the rope.

Elsa watches the ground move closer to them, as they move down the rope, with fear and excitement. Then Elsa looks into the side of Kristian's face and sees him intensely focusing on the rope. An excited smile comes across her face and then Elsa lays her head on Kristian's shoulder as they descend the last few feet. Finally, their feet touch the ground. Then Kristian lets go of Elsa and faces her, and Elsa steps back with her hands on Kristian's shoulders.

"That has been the most exhilarating thing I've done for some time," says Elsa.

"Oh, have you done other things this exciting before?" asks Kristian cheekily.

Elsa lets go of Kristian shoulders and steps back with a smile. She then replies, "There have been times this past year that have been fun, but the only thing that would come close would be back during the time of my coronation. That was nearly all fear, but this had some fun to it."

"Least you're easy to please," says Kristian humorously as he turns to the rope to retrieve it.

Elsa turns away and takes a few steps back away from Kristian to give him some space to work. "I wouldn't say that I am easy," replies Elsa happily. "I prefer to think of myself as having simple needs."

Elsa turns around just as the rope and hook fall from the window, and she watches it fall. Once the rope is on the ground, Kristian bends over to gather the rope up. Finally when Kristian stands up to roll the rope up, Elsa lets out a slight gasp.

"Kristian, I'm sorry!" says Elsa as she moves towards Kristian.

Kristian is puzzled about what Elsa is apologizing for. He turns to look at Elsa as she approaches.

"I didn't mean to cover your back in ice," apologizes Elsa. "You scared me with the jump out the window, and my magic must have been released. I didn't realize that it had."

Now Kristian looks down his shoulder and back the best that he could. He hadn't even realized that Elsa had done that. Kristian's own powers had kept his face and neck clear of the ice and frost, but Kristian's clothing insulated the heat from getting to the outer layers. "I'm fine Elsa. It is no big deal," says Kristian.

"Still, I am sorry," says Elsa. She then reaches up and places a hand on the back of Kristian's shoulder. While doing this she says, "Here, let me take care of that for you."

Elsa, like she had done in the past, removes the ice and frost. As Kristian watches, he is amazed by the fact that Elsa is able to do this. Kristian has never been able to extinguish a fire by willing it and here Elsa is doing it with the ice.

Once Elsa was done making the ice vanish, she steps back and says, "There, I hope you can forgive me."

"Kristian turns to face Elsa and replies, "There is nothing to forgive. I have faced many severe winters at my mountain home. That bit of ice wasn't even noticeable."

Elsa and Kristian begin to walk towards the water's edge. "I am glad that I didn't cause any real harm," says Elsa. "Sometimes, I still have difficulty controlling my magic powers."

"I know that problem," replies Kristian quietly.

"Pardon me?" asks a puzzled Elsa. She wasn't sure she heard Kristian correctly. "You know that problem?"

"Well, um, I mean that with any natural gift there are problems," replies Kristian in a stammer as he realizes he had said the wrong thing. A hint of his secret was almost revealed. Kristian continues his line of thought as he tries to work his way out of his predicament. "Well like a strong man has to learn how to be gentle or a logical man has to figure out how to express emotions."

"Or perhaps even someone who excels at living alone trying to coup in social settings," adds Elsa as she smiles and looks at Kristian.

"Um, ya that too," replies Kristian as he smiles sheepishly back at Elsa.

Now Kristian and Elsa stand near the water's edge. The sun is starting to get low in the sky, and a few hours of daylight still remain. "Most people should be eating about now," comments Elsa.

"Ya," replies Kristian. After a slight pause, Kristian asks, "Um Elsa, is it all right if I ask a question? I don't know if you want to or will be able to answer it."

"Go ahead, I will do my best to answer it," replies Elsa.

"Well back near the palace, I had ice covering my back and you got rid of it. I was wondering, how were you able to accomplish that? Since your magic has more to do with the cold and not with heat," asks Kristian.

"Oh, that has a simple answer. Anna helped me to figure it out. In simplest terms, its love," replies Elsa.

"What?!" responds Kristian with some apprehension. "Love?!"

Elsa notices the sudden fear in Kristian's voice and face. So she says, "Oh, please don't read too much into that. I'm not just talking about the small portion of love that is romantic. I'm talking about love in its broadest sense. Like the way I love Anna, and the way I love Arendelle and its people. So if you look at it in its broadest sense, that love can include you as well."

Kristian relaxes some after hearing this and says, "So how do you use love to reverse what you have done?"

"It mostly has to do with caring about others and wanting to do right by them," replies Elsa. "The positive feeling that love gives me makes it fairly easy for me to control my magic. It even allows me to reverse anything that I might have done."

"It's as simple as that, a positive feeling and a desire to help others," inquires Kristian. "I would have thought that your magic powers could only work in one direction."

"I thought that at first as well; but I realized when my sister was willing to sacrifice herself for me, that love could overcome even what I thought was impossible," replies Elsa.

Sometimes, I can't get over who you are," says Kristian as he is amazed by what Elsa has accomplished. Kristian gazes into Elsa's eyes and can feel the happiness and warmth emanating from her spirit. For some reason, which Kristian doesn't understand, Elsa has been able to get past his emotional defenses and touch his heart. Kristian can't help but look at Elsa affectionately and Elsa notices this and responds in the same way.

After a short period, Kristian smile fades and his eyes drop. He then walks away from Elsa a couple of feet. Kristian's mind always comes back to Goran, why he is here, and Elsa's powers over snow and ice. Elsa is puzzled about Kristian's actions and she is becoming frustrated by this constant up and down of emotions she is receiving from him.

Once Kristian stops walking and without turning around, he says with frustration," Why do you have to be you? Why couldn't you be what I was expecting when I came to Arendelle?"

Elsa is surprised by Kristian's comments. First he seemed to be enticed by what she could do. Now Kristian seems to react with displeasure. "I don't understand," says a perplexed Elsa. "It is about my magic powers isn't it?" Elsa receives no response from Kristian. Kristian stands there quietly with his back to Elsa. "I can't help being who I am," says Elsa sadly.

With still no response from Kristian, Elsa moves to a nearby boulder and sits down. A frost develops on the surface of the boulder as she sits. Still Elsa doesn't care anymore that her magic is revealing itself by accident. Elsa has already accidently revealed them twice before in front of Kristian, what is one more time.

As Elsa sits on the boulder she says with remorse, "I wish I never had these powers. They have caused so many problems for me. I try to make the best situation I can with them, but they still end up keeping me isolated." Elsa then raises a hand and starts to cause a swirl of cold air and snow. "People will always be afraid of me. I'm just going to have to learn to live with my magic all on my own," says a sad Elsa as she watches the snow dance above her hand.

Kristian finally turns and looks at Elsa. He sees Elsa sitting there looking miserable on her frosted boulder and the snow dancing above her hand. Kristian hates himself for making Elsa feel this way. Now Kristian looks down at the ground and grimaces as he clenches his fist. Then Kristian looks up again at Elsa and sighs. Afterwards Kristian removes one of his gloves, and he walks over to Elsa. Then Kristian kneels down before her. With Kristian kneeling in front of her, Elsa looks at Kristian with a sad questioning look. Meanwhile, Kristian has nearly an emotionless look on his face. Right now, Kristian is focusing hard on controlling his powers. Then Kristian places his bare hand on Elsa's hand that is causing the snow. Elsa is shocked by this move, and she tries to pull her hand away. This is because Elsa is afraid of hurting Kristian. However, Kristian holds onto Elsa's hand firmly but gently. Elsa looks down at their joined hands and sees that Kristian's hand is unharmed and that there is no ice covering his hand.

With a quiet comforting tone Kristian says, "Elsa, the little bit of snow you were causing does not scare me at all. While your magic does concern me, I am not afraid of it."

Elsa looks at Kristian in disbelief. Not even Anna would dare to touch her like this when Elsa was using her powers. Elsa looks back down at their joined hands and then back at Kristian's face. "How…how are you doing this?" asks a shocked Elsa.

Kristian lets go Of Elsa's hand and stands up. He turns sideways to her and looks at the ground. "I…I can't say," replies Kristian. Kristian hated seeing Elsa being sad, but he also hated how he had to use his magic to stop Elsa's unhappy mood.

"But how could you? The cold should have stopped you. My powers should have harmed you," says a shocked Elsa.

Kristian then walks away again. He also puts his glove back on; and with his back turned, he stops and says, "I can't."

"I don't understand," says Elsa as she gets up from her boulder. "You were able to touch me like that. How was that possible?"

"Elsa, I can't," replies Kristian a little louder but his back is still towards Elsa.

"But if you can touch me like that, why do you try and keep your distance from me? Even if you do leave, why do you bother to create walls between us?" asks Elsa as she walks towards Kristian, pressuring him.

"Elsa, I just can't," replies Kristian louder as he looks up into the distance.

"But why can't you? We get along well together, and we had fun today. I like you and I want to understand. I just need to know. So what is it that you can't do?" asks Elsa.

"I can't fall in love with you!" shouts Kristian as he turns towards Elsa, and he swings his arm aggressively. Then he drops his head and with his side towards Elsa says quietly, "I just can't."

Elsa stands there quietly looking at Kristian. Elsa is stunned by the loud and dramatic response she had just heard. Elsa needs time to mull over what Kristian had said and what it meant. Finally, in a calm and quiet voice Elsa speaks, "Emotions are a difficult thing to have control over. Our mind might tell us one thing but our emotions do not always follow what our mind says. From what you just said, I know that you care about me; but for some reason you think that you shouldn't form a close relationship."

"Elsa if you only knew everything, you wouldn't even want to be near me," says Kristian as he lifts his head and looks off into the distance. "There are things about me that should concern you. Things that would make you hate me and even fear me."

"You have said that you had secrets that you don't want to be revealed. We are talking about them now aren't we?" inquires Elsa.

Kristian head drops a little as he replies, "There are reasons why I don't want them revealed, and I am already saying more than I should."

"But Olaf says he knows about these secrets, and that there is nothing to be concerned about," states Elsa.

Kristian looks over at Elsa now when he replies, "Olaf doesn't know everything. What Olaf does know should make him worried but it doesn't, and what he doesn't know would scare you."

"I have been scared before, and I have gotten very good at controlling my fear," replies Elsa. "So if you want to talk about it, I will listen without any judgment or interruption until you have had your say. I will promise you that."

Kristian looks away when he replies, "I don't know. I know you believe that you will keep your promise, but I have trouble seeing you keeping it." Then Kristian looks back at Elsa and continues. "Yet, if anyone could keep such a promise, it would be you."

Elsa smiles a little. She wants to know what is troubling Kristian, and he is showing signs of trusting her enough to share it.

Kristian's eyes drop as he senses that Elsa is expecting him to open up. So he says calmly, "I need time to think about what to do next, and I need to be alone when I do."

Kristian begins to move away and Elsa's head begins to drop as she sees him leave. Then Kristian turns towards Elsa and says, "I should at least escort you back to a palace entrance. I owe you at least that much for taking you out of the palace."

Elsa lifts her head and walks up to Kristian. As she does, she says, "That's very kind of you to offer, but leaving the palace was a joined decision. Though the manner of leaving was yours and it was very dramatic."

Kristian and Elsa begin to walk along side each other. "I guess I should apologies for that departure," says a stoic Kristian as he looks straight forward.

"It was an event that I won't soon forget," replies Elsa as she glances over at Kristian. "It was an unusual ending to a beautiful day. I just hope that you were able to enjoy it as well."

"Kristian glances over at Elsa with a questioning look. "The day was easy to enjoy especially when I forgot about everything else, but how can you think about how my day was? Since, I just gave you some unsettling information."

"You have not given out enough detail for me to make a proper judgment call," responds Elsa. "So I have to rely on my time with you. From that I have found you to be kind person. Even this thing you say I should be worried about tells me that you are concerned about my well being. If you weren't you wouldn't have told me."

"You really know how to make things difficult don't you," replies Kristian as he looks down to the ground.

"I was trying to make things easier and lighten the mood," says a puzzled Elsa.

"Not if I try to go back to the way things were before I met you," replies Kristian sadly. "You make it too easy for me to like you."

Soon Kristian and Elsa reach the main door of the palace. "I guess you will be heading back to your campsite then," says Elsa as she stands in the courtyard of the palace.

"Ya, I've got issues to work out in my head," says Kristian as he withdraws into himself.

"Will you come by tomorrow then? I would like to see you again," says Elsa.

"I don't know. It depends on what I decide," says an uncertain Kristian. "Good bye, Elsa," says Kristian as he turns to walk away.

"Good bye, Kristian; and I do hope to see you again," replies Elsa as she gives a slight wave to Kristian. Kristian acknowledges this by giving a slight nod of his head as he walks away.

Elsa watches Kristian walk away with a little apprehension about what he will end up deciding. When Kristian reaches the far side of the bridge Elsa turns to return to the interior of the palace. Just as Elsa nears the doors, they open. It is Anna. She has been searching through the palace looking for Elsa.

"Oh, hi Anna," says Elsa as she is surprised to run into Anna at the front doors. "I heard you looking for me earlier this evening. I just didn't want to interrupt my time with Kristian. So I guess I owe you an apology for avoiding you."

Anna moves quickly towards her sister and wraps her arms around Elsa to give her a hug. Anna ends up pinning Elsa's upper arms against her body. "Um, Anna?" asks Elsa as she is surprised by this unexpected action by Anna.

Anna releases Elsa a bit so she can speak to her face to face. "I was so worried about you, but I am so glad that you are safe now."

"Anna, I was only with Kristian and we never left the palace grounds," replies Elsa.

"Kristian was the reason that I was trying to find you," says Anna as she lets go of Elsa. "You might not be safe around him."

"Why? What did you hear?" asks Elsa. Elsa knew that something was troubling Kristian, and maybe Anna knew something about it.

"What I know came from Kristoff," replies Anna. "He was delivering ice to Vidar when he overheard Kristian in a heated discussion."

"Kristian said that he was talking with his employer, and that his employer wasn't happy with his progress," says Elsa.

"But he didn't tell you who his employer is or what his job was," replies Anna. "The man that Kristoff saw with Kristian was The Duke of Weselton."

"The Duke!" exclaims Elsa. "No wonder Kristian was having such difficulty. That's why he seemed so tormented when we were hanging out together. I was the source of it."

"Elsa, what are you saying?!" exclaims Anna. "Who knows what the Duke of Weselton had planned. Kristian could be here to harm you, and you are blaming yourself for his mental difficulties?"

"No, I am not blaming myself; but Kristian has said that he disliked his job and now I think I know why," replies Elsa. "He has taken a liking to me."

"OK, maybe there is something to feel sorry about; but shouldn't you take this potential threat more seriously?" asks Anna.

There is little that can be done," replies Elsa. "I could send the Duke away, but that would not stop anything the Duke would have put into motion. The only thing I really can do is to isolate myself in the palace, and I don't want to do that again."

"I would hate to see you seclude yourself like you did when we were kids," says Anna. "You have been having so much fun this last year by being out in Arendelle. Still, I wish you would be careful. I don't want to lose my only sister."

"I think I can take care of myself," replies Elsa. Then with a smile she says, "After all, I am the Snow Queen."


	11. Chapter 11

Kristian had left Elsa in the courtyard of the palace, and he is walking through the streets of Arendelle back to his campsite. Kristian's mind is tormented as he passes the villagers in Arendelle. It is late in the day and just a little over an hour of sunlight is left. As he walks, Kristian watches the villagers settle down for the evening. Street vendors are closing down for the night, and street lanterns are starting to be lit. Also children are running through the street, trying to enjoy the last few minutes of daylight left before the night calls them in to settle down.

"What is the point in ruining their lives," says Kristian to himself as he knows of the pending disaster that Goran will soon unleash on this village.

Kristian walks slowly as he thinks and lets out a sigh when he leaves the village. Now all he has is the noise that swirls in the country hills. Kristian continues his walk in silence, and when he reaches his campsite he fails to notice the two fires. One fire sits at the top of the rock outcropping and the other is in the fire pit. Goran had arrived at the campsite and was waiting for Kristian to return. Mattias and Goran do not get along very well. So Mattias took off to the safety of the rock outcropping.

Goran looks over and watches Kristian walk into the campsite. Then he says in a rough voice, "I've been waiting for you to return."

Kristian stops and looks up. He is surprised to see Goran sitting by the campfire. "What are you doing here?" asks Kristian in surprise.

"Just pathetic," says Goran in disgust. "How do you expect to survive if you don't pay attention to your surroundings? You walked right into camp without even noticing me." Goran, from his sitting position, launches a fireball at Kristian. Kristian manages to get a glove off and deflects the fireball in time. This fireball bursts apart when it hits the ground, setting some of the grass on fire. "If I was a threat, you would be dead by now," states Goran. "And what are you doing wearing gloves on such a tricky job? If you were caught by this ice witch, you would be at a significant disadvantage. You have limited your attack potential by wearing those dam things."

"By wearing them, I reduced the possibility of someone finding out about me," replies Kristian in a stern voice as he takes his other glove off. Kristian then places both gloves into his satchel. "Besides, my job was to watch the queen and I figured that secrecy was more important that my attack prowess."

"First of all, she is a witch not a queen. Secondly, that is why I am here, your job," says Goran as he stands up and faces Kristian. "You weren't watching the monster at all. You were messing around and not paying attention to your mission."

"What are you talking about?" angrily asks Kristian. "I had my eye on her the entire day. Only for a few brief periods did I not have her in my sights."

"You call standing on a hill outside of the village keeping an eye on the witch!" exclaims Goran angrily. "Not to mention, you were hanging out with some local trollop instead of doing your job!"

"That trollop, you are talking about, was my job and she never left my sight!" shouts Kristian.

"You bothered to hang out with that creature?!" hotly asks Goran. "That was the stupidest thing I have ever heard. You risked your life getting that close to her and you hampered yourself by wear those leather gloves. By all rights, you would have been dead if she found out. An ice witch would not have shown any mercy to a fire demon, and you should not show any to an ice witch."

"You're wrong about her!" exclaims Kristian. "She is, by no means, a witch. She is in all senses, not only be birth but also by her nature, a queen. You have to accept that fact. She has found her place here, and is warmly accepted by the villagers. The only threat that she would be is if we threatened her first."

"You fool, Kristian," snarls Goran. "She has bewitched you, like she has bewitched everyone in this backwater village. This ice witch has broken your fighting spirit and has left you helpless. The only way you are going to get that back is by her death."

"I am as strong as I ever was, Goran!" hotly replies Kristian. "Let's forget about this place and forget about Elsa! She has no reason to leave this land and we can return to our mountain home. I can even obtain the funds we need to repay the Duke his money. We can leave free and clear of this whole mess and have no further consequences from it."

Goran is angry at what he perceives as Kristian's weakness. Goran raises his hands and flame rises from his upright palms. He lets out a roar of anger and shoots the fire forward in a long stream at Kristian. Kristian raises his own hands and generates a large fireball. Kristian then thrusts the fireball forward to meet the fire stream from Goran. The two fires meet just in front of Kristian. Parts of the stream are sheared off and impact around Kristian. However, parts of the stream manage to push through Kristian's defense and it strikes Kristian in the chest. The force of the impact knocks Kristian backwards and it causes him to sprawl on the ground. Now Goran walks towards Kristian with both of his hands ablaze. Kristian struggles to right himself as he is dazed by the blow from Goran.

"She has made you weak!" roars Goran as he approaches Kristian. "I have spent my energy and time to try and turn you into a warrior! I had to overcome your mother's compassionate influences on you to make you into a true fighter! Now you allow this—this creature to undo all of that work! She deserves to be punished for this!"

Kristian manages to get to his feet as Goran nears. Goran then grabs Kristian by the neck with a flaming hand. The fire surrounds Kristian's head as Kristian tries to wrestle Goran's hand away from his throat. Kristian's own magic keeps him from being burned, but the fire consumes the oxygen. This causes Kristian to grow weak from the lack of breathable air.

"All ice witches deserve to perish and there will be no exception for this one," strongly states Goran as he holds onto Kristian. "It will be done with or without your help."

Now Goran throws Kristian back down to the ground where Kristian lays gasping for breath. "You forced me to come down here to set you straight," states Goran harshly. "It is costing me over a half day of work. Still, I will have everything prepared by the third morning. The avalanche, that I will unleash, will bury this village. Prepare yourself for it." Now Goran begins to walk away but then he stops and turns around. "And Kristian, if you betray me, there will be no place on earth that your weak body will find protection from my anger."

Goran then proceeds to walk out of the camp. Goran is now heading back up the mountain to his staging ground for the avalanche. Meanwhile, Kristian sits on the ground. His breathing has become more controlled as Kristian sits with his arms on his knees and his head on his arms. Suddenly flames blaze up from his hands. Kristian then rolls over and he pushes himself up into a standing position. He stands there with a tired angered determination. The flames grow on his hands until he lets out a roar and thrusts a fireball into the rock outcropping. The exploding fireball and exploding rocks makes Mattias soar into the air. Mattias lands behind Kristian as he watches Kristian fire another fireball into the rock wall.

"I am not weak!" shouts Kristian as he fires a third ball into the wall. Kristian then stands there for a moment as he builds his flame up. The fire crawls up his arms until Kristian's entire upper torso is engulfed in flame. "I will show you Goran, that I can be as strong as you are!" states Kristian as he launches a fourth giant flaming ball at the rock wall. This time boulders fly off of the wall. "Then maybe you will be proud of me," quietly states Kristian.

Kristian then walks over to one of these boulders and places a flaming hand on top of it. "I am a warrior," growls Kristian as once again his flame grows "I will prove that to you!" yells Kristian as he pushes down on the boulder.

Kristian's fire grows larger until this time his entire body is covered in flame. The boulder is awash in fire and it begins to glow red. Kristian lets out a yell as he pushes down with even more force on the boulder. The boulder melts under his hand until it is nothing but molten slag on the ground. Kristian steps back from what is left and his flame diminishes. Finally Kristian falls backwards onto the ground exhausted. When he hits the ground, Kristian's body scorches the surface leaving a black spot around his body. Now Kristian's fire is spent and the flame goes out. So Kristian lays there panting with his eyes closed.

Kristian just lays there for several minutes. He just doesn't want to care about anything anymore, and Kristian's exhaustion helps keep him from getting agitated by the subject of Elsa and Goran. Kristian's convoluted thoughts are only interrupted by the sound of snow melting on his cheek with a hiss. Kristian opens his eyes and sees a light snow falling from the sky.

"Snow," says Kristian factually. He is too tired to give this event much thought. Kristian watches the snow fall and it takes his mind off of his problems. The sun has almost set but the few rays of sunlight that still hang in the air make the snow glow with a certain peaceful energy. Soon Kristian notices something else up in the sky. A swirl of snow crosses the sky above him. Then another one crosses. Finally, in his tired state, Kristian realizes what is happening.

"Elsa," says Kristian as a tired smile comes to his face. As Kristian lies there, Mattias comes over to him and lays his head on Kristian's chest. Then Kristian wraps his arm around the fire bird as he watches the snow fall. In time, Kristian eventually falls asleep holding onto his companion Mattias.

Meanwhile, in the village of Arendelle, the villagers are marveling at this current event of snow.

"The queen must be practicing," comments one villager.

"Isn't it wonderful," says another.

"She is giving us a show this evening," says a third.

Back at the palace, Elsa is standing in the courtyard. As Elsa waves her arms around, the snow in the sky makes unique swirls and waves in the air. All of her snow displays head out over the village of Arendelle and out to the countryside. After a while, Anna emerges from the front doors of the palace.

"Elsa, what are you doing out here?" asks Anna politely as she looks up into the sky. "Are you putting on a display for the villagers?"

"I'm actually doing this more for Kristian, but the people of Arendelle can enjoy it as well," replies Elsa as she continues her display.

"Kristian!?" exclaims Anna as she is a bit surprised. "After what we just learned about him, why would you bother to give him a show like this?"

"I am hoping to show him a gentler side to my magic," replies Elsa. "Maybe this will help to bring Kristian over to my side instead of the Duke's. Maybe it will even ease his mind. In any case, a little practice doesn't hurt."

"I guess there is no harm in a little practice," replies Anna. "I just have my doubts to whom you are showing this too."

"I grant you, that Kristian might not seem to be the most ideal person to be going to this much effort for," says Elsa. "But I am not willing to give up on him just yet. After all, how can I dismiss someone who has managed to brighten my days, even if he did it by accident?"

When the light finally fades from the sky, Elsa stops her show and returns to the safe confines of the palace interior.

* * *

><p>When the next morning arrives, Elsa is up early as usual. She tried to sleep the best that she could but Elsa was anxious about what Kristian might decide. As a consequence Elsa has once again, in her sleep, frosted the interior of her room. Elsa is disgusted by this, but by using her powers, she removes the frost.<p>

Afterwards, Elsa tries to start her day like she normally does. After eating her breakfast, Elsa tries to do some work; but she ends up looking over at the chair that Kristian sat in during their evening dinner with Anna and Kristoff. With her mind on other things, Elsa gets very little work done. Finally, Elsa gives up on doing work and starts to walk around the palace. Elsa starts to visit all the places that she showed Kristian during that dinner night. Elsa smiles at the fun time she had that night. The excitement she felt when Kristian helped Elsa out of the chair. The enjoyment she felt when Elsa held onto Kristian ice skating. Even the time when they both watched the stars on the bridge makes her smile a little.

Out in the countryside, Kristian is also starting his day. Last night he slept out on the ground without a blanket. Kristian didn't need the blanket for warmth. That is because Kristian's own power of fire and his firebird Mattias was all the warmth he needed. However, Kristian could have used the blanket to soften the ground that he was sleeping on. As Kristian begins to move Mattias, who has been sleeping on Kristian's chest, flies off and nestles down into the rock ring that was set up for the campfire. Mattias pulls some of the sticks from outside of the ring into the middle of the ring to make a comfortable sight for himself. Soon the bird and the wood are brightly blazing away.

As Kristian gets up, he groans as he stands and stretches his back by placing his hands on his waist. "I should know better than to sleep on bare ground," complains Kristian about his backache.

Then Kristian prepares his breakfast, cleans up, and puts his supplies away. Once done, Kristian sits down next to the campfire and throws Mattias a stick. "Yesterday ended badly," says Kristian to Mattias as he watches the bird consume the stick. "Now, I don't know what to do. Do I betray Goran, a man I've known for most of my life and who has taken care of me; or do I forget about Elsa?"

Kristian leans back against a rock and looks up into the sky. He then continues, "Elsa did put on a show for me last night. However, if she knew what I am and what I am a part of, she would not have been so thoughtful. Fire and ice are just not compatible. There is no way it can work out between us. It was fun while it lasted, but it has to end between Elsa and me."

Now Kristian stands up, and he grabs one of his elbows as he stretches his shoulders. "I guess this means that I've made my decision," says Kristian a little down.

As this thought begins to weigh heavily on Kristian, he walks over to the wall of rock and places a hand against the rock. Kristian's hand flames up as he leans against the rock. "I am sorry Elsa," quietly says Kristian as a tear steams away from his face.

Mattias has been quietly watching Kristian go through his thought process. Now the firebird hops up onto the rocks of the fire ring and squawks and flaps his wings. Kristian turns and looks at the firebird. "What is it Mattias?" asks Kristian.

Mattias then flies off and lands on the path that leads to Arendelle. The bird looks down the path. Then he looks back at Kristian and then back down the path again.

"I told you already, it can't work out between us," says Kristian. "We'll just end up hurting each other."

Mattias turns back towards Kristian and claps his beak. Kristian then replies, "What is there to talk about?" Mattias claps his beak again louder. "Mattias, I don't know what there would be for me to say to Elsa except good bye," replies Kristian.

Mattias flaps his wings and squawks. "That's what you want me to do? You want me to say good bye?" questions Kristian. Mattias lets out a squawk of conformation. "Mattias, I can't just go and say good bye. If I do, Elsa would want to know why," replies Kristian.

Once again Mattias claps his beak. "Tell Elsa?" questions Kristian. "It would be the right thing to do," says Kristian as a little light of kindness begins to grow in his heart. "She does deserve to know the truth about why I am leaving, but not the entire truth. I just can't tell her about Goran. I owe him too much."

So with this decision made, Kristian heads over to his pack and pulls his leather gloves out. Kristian holds his gloves for a moment of hesitation. If Kristian takes the gloves, it means he will be sacrificing his attack potential. Finally he puts the gloves on and heads down the path to Arendelle.

* * *

><p>Back in the palace, Elsa has moved up into the private sitting room. Last evening, Elsa and Kristian spent some time together here. Now Elsa sits down on the couch alone. She leans against the arm of the couch; and Elsa pulls her legs up against herself, almost sitting on her feet. She looks into the empty fireplace and sighs. Elsa is both happy and sad as she thinks about Kristian lighting the fire. As she looks into the fireplace, Elsa is wondering if Kristian will return to the palace or not.<p>

Elsa then looks over to the window. She smiles as Elsa remembers the exciting departure that Kristian and she took out that window. Holding onto him as they descended the rope was magical to Elsa. It was over sooner than she wanted it to be. Then Elsa thinks of the moment when Kristian took her hand. Elsa holds her own hand as she remembers this. That simple gesture was beyond what anyone had ever done with her before. Elsa never thought it was possible, but Kristian was able to be physically close to her even when her powers were active.

That simple touch had sent Elsa's whole world in a spin. What Elsa thought the world was going to be for her was now in near disarray. She didn't care though. The hope and excitement it gave Elsa was all she needed right now. The down side was the apprehension. What was Kristian going to do? Elsa wanted to see Kristian again, but would it be for her sake or for the Duke of Weselton. As Elsa thinks about this, Anna and Olaf walk into the room.

"Hi Elsa!" chirps Olaf as he greets the Queen of Arendelle. "Are you taking a respite from your busy morning?"

Elsa, who has been lying on the couch with her back against the arm of the couch, swings her legs off and sits upright. "I'm afraid this down time has been going on all morning," replies Elsa. "I barely got anything done concerning my duties."

Anna walks over to the couch. As she does, Anna says, "You have been very diligent with your royal responsibilities, that you can let things go for a few days and just let the royal advisors handle things for a while."

"I know, but it wouldn't be right to throw all my duties off on them," replies Elsa.

Anna sits down on the couch next to Elsa and smiles. Then she says, "You would never do that. You always try and do things for others. I just wish you would do more things for yourself. Speaking of which, I bet the thing that has been troubling you this morning has something to do with Kristian."

Elsa looks into the fireplace as she replies, "I just wish I knew what he will be up to. Since we have met him, Kristian has continually surprised me. During the spring festival, he brushed pass me without a second thought and placed his hand against mine in the process. Then in the library before our first dinner together, Kristian help lift me out of my chair. He held my hand without any concern." "Then last night, when we were avoiding you, we leaped out that window," says Elsa as she points towards the window in the room.

"Wait, you went out that window with Kristian? That's over 30 feet to the ground!" interrupts Anna with surprise.

Elsa looks at her sister and smiles. "Yes, it was terrifying initially, but then it was wonderful," replies Elsa. "I held onto him and he held onto me. Kristian brought me down to the ground safely on a rope. The whole time, I was holding onto him. I just wish the descent was longer. At the bottom, he didn't even care that I accidentally frosted his shirt. Then later, he actually took my hand into his when I was using my magic powers."

"He touched you?" inquires Anna. "He must have some kind of magic of his own. I mean, what other kind of explanation could there be?"

With excitement Elsa replies, "I know, I've been thinking the same thing; but what kind of magic? Is he like me? Does he have the power over the cold and snow as well?"

"I don't think that would be the right answer," interjects Anna. "Why would the Duke of Weselton hire someone with powers like you?"

Elsa's excitement fades as she replies, "You're right. The Duke wouldn't hire such a person knowingly. He distrusts people with unnatural powers."

"True, but it doesn't mean he wouldn't hire someone who can protect themselves," replies Anna in an attempt to cheer Elsa up. "Most likely, Kristian has some kind of protection spell on him, something that allows him to keep the cold out."

Elsa perks up again. "Yes that must be it!" says Elsa excitedly. "That would fit perfectly with what we know. The Duke would have hired someone that he knew would be capable of taking me on."

"I don't know why you are so excited about this," interjects Anna. She is a little concern about what this possible revelation could mean. "We are talking about the Duke of Weselton here. Your interactions, so far, have not been friendly. If anything, Kristian is here to harm you."

"I know," says Elsa as her excitement wanes again. "That's why I wish I knew what Kristian will be up to. I had hoped that he would show up this morning to explain things but he hasn't. Maybe Kristian thought that the deal he had with the Duke would be too much for me to accept and has decided to leave Arendelle."

"He could have also decided to go through with his deal with the Duke," adds Anna. "If that is the case, Kristian could be the worst person you will ever meet. He will have taken your heart and will have thrown it away."

"My heart has been broken before Anna and it has mended," replies Elsa. Then she stands up, starts walking around, and continues, "I just want this not knowing to be over. Why can't he just come and tell me. Even if what he had to say was going to be bad news, it would be better than knowing nothing." A little snow begins to fall in the room as Elsa becomes frustrated with her situation.

Anna gets up and stands behind her sister. "He may still show up and explain things," says Anna trying to comfort her sister. "There is still time left in the day. Maybe he hasn't made up his mind yet. Just give it a little more time."

Elsa turns around and faces her sister. "But how much more time?" replies Elsa. "I am having my doubts that he will even be showing up."

"I think Kristian will show up, but I don't think it will be anytime soon," chirps Olaf as he is standing by the window. "All he seems to be doing is walking back and forth out there. I don't know when Kristian will start moving towards the palace."

"What?" exclaims Elsa as she hurries over to the window.

Anna follows Elsa to the window and then both of them look out. Down below, in the town square is Kristian. What, Anna and Elsa see is Kristian pacing back and forth, and it looks like he is talking with himself.

"He did show up," happily says Elsa.

"From the look of him, it seems he hasn't figured out what to say," adds Anna.

"He does seem to be unsettled, but he is here," replies Elsa. "It means Kristian is willing to talk and I want to hear what explanation he has."

Elsa then moves quickly towards the door and as she reaches the door Anna speaks. "I will notify the palace guards then."

Elsa stops with her hand on the doorknob and turns towards her sister. "Anna, that won't be necessary," replies Elsa. "We are just going to have a talk. That is all. There is no need for extra security."

"Have you already forgotten that he is working for the Duke of Weselton?" interjects Anna. "I would rather see you safe than out there with someone who could possibly be dangerous."

"Anna, I don't think he is here to harm me," replies Elsa "I will be fine on my own."

"If you won't accept the protection of the palace guards, then I am coming with you," says Anna with determination."

"But-," replies Elsa.

Before Elsa could finish her sentence, Olaf speaks up. "I will come to. My pal Kristian could use a friendly face. He seems so moody down there and could use some cheering up."

Elsa looks at Olaf who is smiling, and then she looks at Anna who has a concerned determination on her face. Elsa sighs and says, "Fine, you both can come."

"Terrific!" exclaims Olaf. "If Kristian is going to say what I think he is, this is going to be an exciting revelation!"

Elsa opens the door for Olaf and Anna to head out, and as Anna nears her Elsa says, "Anna, please let Kristian have his say before you say anything. I promised him that much and I would like to keep my promise."

Anna stops in front of her sister and replies, "OK, I promise that I will at least try to be silent; but don't expect me to stand quietly by if things go south."

Elsa sighs and says, "I guess that is the best that I can hope for." Then she follows Olaf and Anna out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Outside in the village square, Kristian has been pacing back and forth. Kristian is trying to work up the courage to talk to Elsa and he is trying to think of the appropriate thing to say. Nothing seems to be right. As he paces, Kristian talks to himself. "Come on Kristian, all you have to do is tell her. It shouldn't be this difficult. You've got to say something more than just hello or good morning. Something like, sorry Elsa I can't be with you because I have the power over fire." "Oh ya, that'll work," says Kristian sarcastically. "Upset her first and then make her fear for her life. Maybe, Elsa I have a special gift, a gift that allows me to generate extra heat. Enough heat to melt ice. That seems better, but it still is going to lead to a difficult standoff," says an uncertain Kristian. "Dam it. I just don't see any easy way to do this. Hey Elsa, I have the power to burn your whole house down," says Kristian with an unrealistic and off the wall idea. ""Oh ya, that will definitely get you an ice dagger in the old body. Definitely won't go that route."

As Kristian continues to talk to himself, he has walked nearer to the palace bridge. Kristian has also not noticed Olaf, Anna, and Elsa come out of the main gate. Olaf takes off running excitedly. Meanwhile, Anna and Elsa continue at a walking pace.

"He seems to be focused on his own thoughts," says Anna to Elsa as they walk.

"If Kristian is going to be revealing anything, it will be difficult for him," replies Elsa. "He thinks we don't know about the Duke of Weselton. Think about it, what would you do if Kristoff told you he was working for the Duke?"

Anna stops walking on the bridge. "Kristoff wouldn't be working for the Duke!" exclaims Anna as she feels insulted by the idea.

Elsa stops and turns towards her sister. "Just for argument sake Anna, what would you do?" repeats Elsa with her question.

"I most likely would get upset with Kristoff," replies Anna. "Then I would probably hit him with something."

"Exactly," says Elsa. "Kristian could feel that I would react the same way. I mean, how do you tell someone? Especially when you are working for a gentleman who seeks to have physical harm befall the person you are telling this too."

"He could be thinking that," replies Anna. "But he could also be trying to rationalize the hostile actions he will be taking against you."

"Perhaps, but I would much prefer to think of him doing the former than the later," says Elsa.

"I would too, but I want you to be careful around Kristian," replies Anna with concern. "You still need to find out what his true motives are."

As Elsa and Anna stand at one end of the bridge talking, Olaf runs across the bridge towards Kristian. As he nears Kristian, Olaf yells out, "Hey Kristian! We're glad that you showed up!"

Kristian stops his pacing, and he looks over at Olaf who is nearing him at a quick pace. Then Kristian looks down the bridge and sees Anna and Elsa talking. Seeing them there unnerves Kristian, and he takes a few steps backwards. He is not yet ready to tell Elsa.

"Um hi, Olaf. Ah ya, I was going to show up," stammers Kristian.

"Well, you are heading in the wrong direction for that," replies Olaf as he sees Kristian take another step back. Olaf takes a hold of Kristian's hand and begins to pull him forward. "We've all been waiting for you to explain things."

"All of you?" asks Kristian timidly. "I was just planning on telling Elsa alone. I wasn't expecting an audience."

"We all sort of know what you are going to talk about," replies Olaf as he continues to walk alongside of Kristian.

Kristian stops and asks with some trepidation, "Olaf, did you tell them something about my powers?"

"No, I didn't say a thing," replies Olaf. "I have kept my promise to keep your secret, but you are going to tell Elsa about it aren't you?"

"I was trying to thing of the best way to do that when you showed up," replies Kristian.

"Great!" exclaims Olaf as he once again gets Kristian moving. "I think you are going to find that it will be a breeze to tell Elsa the truth."

"I seriously doubt it," replies Kristian as he walks with trepidation. Shortly, everyone is standing in the middle of the palace bridge.

"I am certainly glad to see you again," says Elsa as she and Anna approach Kristian. "I am sorry it isn't more of a private meeting, but Olaf and Anna insisted on being here."

"Maybe it is better that they are here," replies Kristian. "Because what I have to say is not going to be pleasant."

"That much I understood from last night. Would you like to continue our talk inside where we all can be more comfortable?" asks Elsa as she gestures towards the palace.

"It would be better if I told you out here. You won't want me in the palace after what I have to say," replies Kristian as he tries to avoid eye contact with Elsa.

"I'm not that sort of person," replies Elsa as she tries to keep the conversation more on a light mood. "I'm a good queen, not some mean old monarch. I have kept the palace doors open to everyone, even to those that I don't like very well."

"Elsa, I wish that you were that mean monarch," says Kristian as he looks over at Elsa. "It would have made things so much easier and simpler for me, but you have made things complicated and I am in a no win situation."

"There is a very easy solution, choose Elsa," strongly says Anna. "It will solve all your problems."

"What?" asks Kristian as he is surprised by Anna's statement. "Sorry, but that is not even a possibility. No matter what happens, it is necessary for us to end any kind of relationship we might possibly have."

This was not the talk that Elsa wanted to have and all the warmth has gone out of her face. Elsa wanted Kristian to talk about what was bothering him. Then Elsa hoped that she could smooth out those problems. That way, Kristian wouldn't have the guilt from associating with the Duke of Weselton. Then he would be free to try a real attempt at a relationship with her.

Anna's reaction was a bit more outwardly. "You're actually going to side with the Duke of Weselton over Elsa!" strongly states Anna as she steps forward. "The Duke will not intimidate us, and you can tell your boss that if he does try anything he will regret it!"

Elsa turns towards her sister and says, "Anna please, this is not the time for such an outburst. I promised Kristian that I would listen; and I would have preferred if he had brought up the Duke in conversation, not you."

Anna quiets down and backs off of Kristian as Elsa turns towards him and apologizes. "I am sorry about that. I didn't want you to be interrupted with such harshness."

Kristian is shocked by what Anna has said. "How did you find out about the Duke?" asks a stunned Kristian.

"It was Kristoff who discovered it," replies Elsa quietly. She didn't want it to happen like this but Elsa has no choice now. "He was delivering ice to Vidar, when Kristoff heard the two of you arguing."

"And you still wanted to see me after that revelation?" asks a perplexed Kristian.

"I only got part of the story that way. I wanted to hear your side of things," replies Elsa. "So is it true then? Did the Duke of Weselton hire you?"

Kristian turns away from Elsa and leans on the stone rails of the bridge. Kristian replies as he looks down into the water, "No. He didn't hire me directly, but more in an indirect fashion."

Elsa walks up to Kristian and stands at his side. "Then it was Goran that he hired then," says Elsa calmly.

Kristian glances over at Elsa before looking out over the water. Then he says, "Yes, it was Goran that the Duke hired, I just came along with Goran to help him."

"What was Goran hired to do then?" asks Anna warily. Anna is very protective of her sister and doesn't want to trust Kristian right now.

"Goran is a mercenary for hire. What do you think he is here for?" replies Kristian as he continues to look out over the water. "He is known for handling people like Elsa."

Elsa becomes slightly excited. "I have always known that there were people out there like myself, but never thought that I would hear of someone actually meeting another individual," says Elsa.

Kristian looks over at Elsa and replies, "I've never met another; but when I was younger, Goran did go alone on one such assignment." Kristian looks back down at the water before he continues. "Goran did win that meeting." After a slight pause, he says, "I wasn't going to be talking about the Duke and Goran, but you were the ones who brought them up."

Elsa is surprised to hear this. Wasn't this supposed to be the thing that was bothering Kristian? What is he here to talk about then?

Anna too is surprised, but she is more angry than shocked. "Why would you be concerned about protecting the Duke?" angrily asks Anna.

"I don't care a bit about the Duke!" hotly replies Kristian as he looks over at Anna. "But Goran is a different matter. He is family to me, or the closes thing to family that I have. I just can't betray him."

Elsa steps forward again and this time she places a hand on Kristian's arm. "I understand how important family can be," says Elsa as she tries to comfort Kristian. "But is family so important that you are willing to do something that you know to be wrong?"

Kristian looks at Elsa as he replies, "I also owe him Elsa, and it is also about my own security. Goran has kept me alive and the only safe place that I have is our mountain home."

"I can offer you sanctuary here in Arendelle," says Elsa. "You can be safe under my protection."

"No, you can't Elsa," replies Kristian as he pulls Elsa's hand off of his arm and holds it in his gloved hand. "That is what I was going to talk to you about. What I have to say will make you unwilling to protect me from yourself."

* * *

><p>Up on the mountain, Goran's fire demons are continuing to build the large mound of snow. It is massive now. No one in Arendelle can see this large creation because of the cloud that has been created by the release of steam from these creatures gathering the snow.<p>

Goran, however, is standing at a lower elevation. Goran is there so he can have a clear view of Arendelle below. He has his spyglass out and Goran is watching the scene unfold on the palace bridge. Goran is not pleased to see Kristian standing on that bridge talking to Elsa and Anna. Finally the last straw for Goran was when he saw Elsa touch Kristian's arm and Kristian taking hold of Elsa's hand. When seeing this, Goran becomes angry and his hands flame up around the spyglass. He yells in disgust and throws the spyglass down onto the snow covered ground. The heated spyglass hisses a little as it hits the snow.

"Kristian dares to side with this devil of a women!" shouts Goran as his hands continue to blaze. "Kristian has always been weak. A pretty face turns his head and he probably tells her everything that I am up too. I cannot allow this witch to take Kristian from me. I still need a day to get enough snow to be effective, but by then it may be too late." Now Goran turns towards his mountain of snow. "Still a partial victory will still be better than no victory."

The flames, on Goran's hands, grow as he holds his hands out from the sides of his body. The flames move up his arms and soon cover his entire torso. With a loud yell, the fire flames up high above Goran's head. Then Goran thrusts his hands forward and the tower of fire gets funneled down to his body. The fire then shoots out of Goran's hands in multiple large fireballs. These fireballs smash into the face of the giant ice wall that retains the large volume of snow and ice. The wall breaks and the pile begins to move. The fire demons working on the pile get caught up in the falling mound and all of these monsters get buried or extinguished by the massive amount of moving snow.

* * *

><p>Down in Arendelle, Kristian is attempting to explain what he is to Elsa, and he is finding it difficult. Kristian has let go of Elsa's hand, and he steps back from her.<p>

In a haltering manner, Kristian says, "Elsa, we are total opposites."

"You have said that before. I am royalty and you are a mountain man. I tried to tell you before, that doesn't bother me," interrupts Elsa.

"All of that is true. Maybe even the part about you not caring about that, but we are opposites in a very dangerous way. Not only for me but also for you," replies Kristian as he turns back to face the water.

"Dangerous? How can we be dangerous to each other? I know I have the power over the cold, and I know that most people would be endangered from that. Yet, you have shown me that you can tolerate my magic powers," says Elsa.

"What I showed you was a very controlled and dangerous display," replies Kristian.

Just then, a low rumble is heard through the air. "Is that thunder?" asks Olaf.

Everyone looks up into the mountains as the rumble continues. "No, that is an avalanche," replies Elsa with some puzzlement. "But it is late in the season for one to be occurring now."

Dread fills Kristian's heart as he realizes what is happening. "Goran," quietly says Kristian.

Elsa, who was standing close to Kristian, hears this. "What? Goran?" asks Elsa as she looks over at Kristian.

Kristian looks over at Elsa and Elsa can see the fear in his eyes. "Goran has set off that avalanche," replies Kristian.

"But, why? What good would it do?" asks Elsa.

"It was going to be a way to separate you from the protection of the village, by forcing you to flee" replies Kristian. "The hope was that you would get blamed for it."

"It will never make it to Arendelle," says Anna. "There are too many valleys between here and the mountains."

"It will make," replies Kristian. "Goran will make sure of that."

Now Elsa turns towards Anna and out of concern says, "Notify the guards to sound the alarm!" Afterwards, Elsa turns and runs into the village of Arendelle.

"Elsa, wait!" calls out Anna as she watches her sister run off, but Elsa continues to leave. Anna then turns and runs into the palace grounds. This just leaves Olaf and Kristian standing on the bridge alone.

Up on the mountain, the massive amount of snow is gaining momentum. Goran stands below it, just on the other side of a small valley. As the snow nears the valley, Goran begins to wave his hands aggressively upwards. At the bottom of the valley, a flame tower emerges. This tower continues to grow as Goran commands it to. Once the top of the flames reach the top of the surrounding hills, it spreads across the top of the valley to make a large fire bridge. The flames shoot out sideways from the bridge as the snow hits it. The snow travels over this valley on the bridge and soon it travels over Goran as well. Goran continues his assistance of the avalanche as it travels further down the mountain. As the snow gets further down the mountain, the fire bridges get weaker as they move away from Goran. Some of the snow begins to fall through the bridges, but enough makes it over where a large mass will still be able to hit Arendelle.

On the palace bridge, Olaf looks over at Kristian as Kristian looks up towards the avalanche. "Aren't you going to do anything?" asks Olaf.

"What?" asks a surprised Kristian as he looks at Olaf.

"There is a big bunch of snow coming towards us and you have the ability to stop it. So why don't you help Elsa save her village and people?" replies Olaf.

"That is more snow than I can handle," says Kristian. "Plus, I still have to think about my own future. Helping Elsa would mean the end of my relationship with Goran. I don't know what I would do if I had to leave my home."

"Well if you won't help Elsa, will you help me then?" asks Olaf as he smiles at Kristian.

Kristian looks down at Olaf's smiling face. He has trouble saying no to Olaf, when he looks like this. Finally Kristian clenches his fists and groans as he looks up into the sky. "Oh, fine Olaf. My way of life is pretty much over either way. I might as well make a royal mess of it."

Kristian then turns and runs into the village of Arendelle, just as the warning trumps sound in the palace. As Kristian runs, Olaf follows closely behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

Out in the village, people are puzzled and a bit concerned by the noise of the approaching avalanche. Meanwhile, Elsa is running past them towards the edge of the village. "Get to the palace!" calls out Elsa as she runs past people. Soon the warning trumps sound and people begin to run in fear towards the safety of the palace walls.

As for Kristoff, he is working on his ice cart at his warehouse when he hears the warning trumpets. Kristoff was polishing it for the day. When Kristoff hears the warning, he drops what he was doing and hooks up Sven to the cart. Kristoff then heads out quickly on the cart into the village of Arendelle. Once out in the village, Kristoff stops to pick people up who need assistance. He then drives the cart toward the palace entrance.

Meanwhile at the palace, Anna is busy giving orders to the palace staff. "Quickly, we need to create as much space in the palace as we can!" orders Anna. "Don't be neat about it! The whole village of Arendelle needs to fit inside the palace gates! Prepare the dungeons to shelter as many people as possible!"

"The dungeons your highness?" questions one of the servants.

"The dungeons are the strongest part of the palace and are the farthest away from the approaching avalanche," replies Anna. "Safety is the most important thing right now. So the dungeons need to be prepared."

"At once your highness!" replies the servant as he runs off to do his duties.

Anna soon has no one around her in the great hall. Now people are beginning to enter the palace in a panic. They are quickly escorted to other areas of the palace that are being prepared to house them. As Anna watches, she sees that things are moving in a smooth but chaotic fashion. So Anna's thoughts soon turn back to her sister. Since things are proceeding as well as can be expected with the palace, Anna heads out to the courtyard. Once outside, Anna tries to cross the palace bridge; but the panicking villagers crowd the bridge making it difficult to move against the flow. So Anna moves to the side and jumps up onto the stone hand rail. Then Anna moves as quickly as she can down the rail trying hard not to fall off. When she makes it to the far side of the bridge, Anna jumps off just as Kristoff pulls up to unload his cart of passengers.

"Kristoff! I'm glad to see you!" exclaims Anna. "I need you to take me towards the edge of the village! I'm sure Elsa is there!"

"Hop on! I'll get you there!" replies Kristoff as he finishes helping people off the cart. Anna climbs up and soon Kristoff is on board as well. "Let's go Sven!" says Kristoff.

Sven takes off in a quick run and heads into the village of Arendelle. Kristoff turns to Anna and asks, "Do you think this avalanche is a real threat to the village?"

"Kristian says it will hit the village, and I do believe him about this," replies Anna.

"So you are beginning to trust this Kristian guy again," says Kristoff.

"Not totally. I don't think he will harm Elsa himself, but I don't think Kristian will try and stop anyone else who will," replies Anna. "However right now, I know that Elsa is going to attempt to protect Arendelle by herself. I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry Anna," replies Kristoff as he urges Sven on. "We'll get there in time to help Elsa, if she needs it."

Like Elsa, Kristian is also running through the streets of Arendelle. It is from the urging of Olaf that Kristian has relented into helping Arendelle as well. Olaf is with Kristian and is doing a good job at keeping up with him. Now the streets of Arendelle are beginning to empty of people. They have all sought shelter and most have headed towards the palace.

The rumbling from the avalanche is getting louder as it nears Arendelle. Meanwhile, Elsa has just reached the edge of the village and can see the top of the wall of snow coming at her. There isn't enough time for her to go any further. Kristian too knows that there isn't much time for him to do something as well. So Kristian veers off the street and climbs a set of outside stairs at a run. He clears 2 to 3 steps with each stride. Kristian pulls his rope from his satchel and snares the top of a nearby chimney. He then uses the rope to swing himself onto the roof tops. Once Kristian finds a suitable spot to stand, he removes his gloves. Now Kristian stands with his hands down by his side, and the palms of his hands are facing forward. Almost instantly, flames arise from his open palms.

Down on the street, Olaf has moved to the other side of the road. From this location, Olaf is able to watch Kristian work. The fire from Kristian's hands quickly moves up his arms. In no time, Kristian's entire torso is covered.

Back at street level, Olaf sees Sven running down the street towards him. "Hi!" calls out Olaf as he waves when the cart passes him.

"Olaf!" replies Anna with surprise. There was little time for anything else because of the speed at which the cart was moving.

Meanwhile, Kristian had prepared himself to do as much damage as he could against such a massive amount of snow. When Kristian saw the snow crest the final hill before Arendelle, he began to thrust forward but stops. What made him stop was the quick appearance of an ice wall. It arose just outside of Arendelle and it continues to grow.

Elsa was at the edge of the village, and she was using her magic powers to generate the solid wall of ice. Anna and Kristoff had just come into view of Elsa as the wall arose from the ground. They were still several blocks away. The appearance of the ice wall causes Kristoff to stop the cart, as they then watch Elsa work.

The first snow, from the avalanche, hits the ice wall when the wall was about 2 stories tall. It hits hard and a person could hear the wall crack. Yet the wall held. However, there was still a lot of snow and ice to follow. It quickly piles up behind Elsa's ice wall. It was almost coming faster than Elsa could build the wall. The force of the avalanche caused the formation of the wall to bend back onto the village of Arendelle. So Elsa quickly begins to form crude ice columns to hold up the wall as it starts to turn into a dome. She continues to work feverishly to stay ahead of the oncoming onslaught of snow and ice. So the dome continues to grow until the avalanche was stopped.

When it was over, Elsa had covered over a third of the village of Arendelle in a dome of ice supported be pillars of ice. The edge of the dome stood high just above where Kristian was standing on the roof. He stood there in pure amazement of what Elsa was able to do in such a short amount of time. The flames on Kristian's hands soon reduce to a small flicker as it seemed that the danger had past.

Elsa is exhausted from the effort she has just put out, and she breaths heavily as she stands there. Even Elsa is impressed by what she has just accomplished. However, there is someone who is less than pleased by what he is seeing.

Up on the mountain, Goran had been watching the events down in Arendelle through his spyglass. He is angered by the failure of the avalanche to do any significant damage. Once again Goran's hands flare up, but this time he fractures his spyglass before he throws it down. The damage to his spyglass causes Goran to become infuriated with these events. Goran yells out with a roar and raises his hands into the air. Fire bursts from his entire body and climbs high into the air. Then Goran throws several fireballs, one after another, down towards Arendelle.

After taking several deep breaths, Elsa turns around and sees Kristoff and Anna down the street in the cart harnessed to Sven. Anna stands up and waves to her sister. "You did it Elsa! You protected the village!" yells out Anna.

Elsa waves back as she starts to walk towards Anna and Kristoff. However, before she took many steps, a roar was heard in the air. Then an explosion was heard and the dome shook and cracked. It was followed be several more explosions in close succession. The ice dome begins to collapse and Elsa begins to run towards Anna and the cart. Sven takes off too, towards Elsa. Before they reach each other, a fireball breaks through the falling ice and snow, and hits the ground. The ground then shakes violently from the impact. Everyone becomes unbalanced and Elsa falls to the ground. Sven rears into the air as fire is splashed everywhere from the impacting fireball. The next think anyone knows is Elsa is buried under the collapsing dome.

"Elsa!" cries out Anna as she stands up on the cart.

Meanwhile, Kristoff pulls hard on the reins and turns Sven around to head out of danger and away from Elsa.

"Stop! Elsa is back there!" exclaims Anna as she turns around to look back at where her sister was.

Kristoff grabs a hold of Anna and pulls her back down onto her seat. "We have to save ourselves first!" exclaims Kristoff as large pieces of snow and ice fall around them. The entire dome is collapsing and Anna and Kristoff are still under it. "We can't help her if we're buried as well!"

Kristoff and Sven do their best to evade the obstacles caused by the falling snow and ice. In no time, they come into view of Olaf. With the sight of Sven and the others, Olaf begins to wave his hands frantically at them. Olaf is standing at the edge of the dome. Olaf then looks up towards the sky.

What Olaf was doing was yelling at Kristian. "Hey, Kristian! Help! Anna and Kristoff are coming down the street under the collapsing ice!" yells Olaf.

Just then, a large piece of ice falls in the middle of the street. It totally blocks the progress that Anna and Kristoff were making. The cart stops; and Anna screams as she looks up at the falling ice and snow. Kristoff grabs a hold of Anna and covers her with his arms and body to try and protect her. The next thing they hear is a loud hiss, and they feel large amounts of cold water fall down onto them.

Kristian had sprung into action. He had created a modest sized fire spiral. There wasn't time to create anything larger. Kristian had launched this spiral from the rooftop he was standing on. This spiral had cut into the falling snow and ice; and it melted the snow and ice along the path the spiral took. The spiral of fire manages to make its way nearly down the entire length of the street. What remained looked like a small valley though snow covered hills.

"Brrr, that was cold," exclaims Anna as the cold water had chilled her.

"At least we are alive," replies Kristoff as he looks over at Anna to make sure she is OK.

"What happened?" asks Anna.

"Something brought down the dome," replies Kristoff. "If I had to guess, it was several fireballs that did it. One of them must have hit above us and melted everything."

Then Olaf appears from around the corner of the large ice chunk that fell in front of Kristoff and Anna. "Is everyone all right?" asks Olaf anxiously.

"We're a little drenched, but we survived," replies Kristoff as he looks over at Olaf.

"What about Elsa? Where is she?" inquires Olaf.

Now Anna turns to Kristoff. Her fear for her own safety has faded and the shock from the cold shower no longer concerns Anna. "We have to go back!" exclaims Anna to Kristoff. "Elsa is buried back there and needs our help!"

"Right, let's go!" replies Kristoff as he pulls on the reins to turn Sven back towards where Elsa was. "Come on Olaf!" says Kristoff as he looks over to the snowman. Kristoff wants Olaf to jump aboard the cart.

"Go ahead without me!" replies Olaf. "I'll go get some help!"

Kristoff then cracks the reins and Sven heads quickly back down the street. Olaf turns around and heads quickly in the other direction.

Just up the street, in the direction that Olaf was heading, Kristian is climbing down from the top of the building he was standing on. Olaf approaches him quickly and calls out, "Kristian! Elsa needs your help! Anna says that Elsa is buried! She and Kristoff are heading back to try and help her!"

Kristian looks down the street in the direction that Elsa and the others are. After a short period of disbelief he says, "Alright Olaf, I'll help." After saying that, Kristian begins to run down the street.

"I'll get some more help!" shouts Olaf as Kristian leaves. Olaf then heads in the direction of the palace.

* * *

><p>Ahead on the street, that leaves Arendelle, is Anna and Kristoff. The fire spiral, that Kristian had thrown, had melted nearly all the snow on the street. Large ice blocks still remain from the dome and the surrounding buildings are partially covered still. Yet the fire spiral managed to cut a path nearly all the way to Elsa before being dissipated by the cold snow and ice.<p>

Finally, Sven could not proceed any further because of the large ice chunks on the street. So Anna and Kristoff climb off the cart and proceed by foot, climbing around and over the snow and ice.

"How in the world are we going to find Elsa in all this mess?" asks Kristoff in frustration. "I know we are close but where do we start looking?"

Anna climbs to the top of one of the larger ice chunks and stands there. "I don't think finding the right place to look is going to be that difficult," replies Anna as she points in a certain direction.

Kristoff climbs up next to Anna and looks. What he sees is a large pile of snow and ice with the surrounding snow melted from the fire spiral.

"I would say someone who can generate a lot of cold would be able to keep that pile intact, and the only one I know that can do that is Elsa," says Anna.

Kristoff and Anna scramble over the ice and snow and make it to the large pile. "Elsa, are you in there?! Can you hear me?!" calls out Anna.

Anna hears no response to her call. Kristoff, meanwhile, begins to dig into the pile. Anna then begins to dig as well.

Back near Sven, Kristian has just arrived. "Hey Sven," says Kristian as he breaths heavily. Kristian is tired because he had been running. "So where did Anna and Kristoff go?" he asks the reindeer.

Sven points the direction that Anna and Kristoff went with his antlers. Thanks," replies Kristian as he heads in the direction that Sven pointed.

After a short period of trying to crawl over the ice and snow, Kristian says, "This is ridiculous!" Kristian then takes his gloves off and stands in one place. Kristian focuses his powers and soon flame spreads across the ground from his feet. The flame cuts through the snow to the ground. With his hands, Kristian melts the sides of the large ice boulders to make an easy walking path. For a short while, Kristian proceeds through this rough terrain in this fashion. Soon Kristian is able to hear the voices of Anna and Kristoff calling out to Elsa. So Kristian heads in the direction of their voices. Using his flame, Kristian cuts a narrow path through the snow as he goes.

"Elsa, please, can you hear me!" calls out Anna as she pulls ice and snow away from the pile.

Then Kristoff steps back from the pile for a moment. "Anna, this is going to take us too long. We need to get more help and some tools," says Kristoff.

Anna stops for a brief moment and looks at Kristoff. Then she says, "Olaf has already gone for help. Someone will come shortly. We just need to keep digging." Anna then turns back towards the pile and resumes her digging, but Anna stops when she hears a voice.

"I'm… here to help!" calls out Kristian. Right now, Kristian is uncertain how Anna and Kristoff will react to his presence. Anna turns around, and she and Kristoff look over to Kristian. Kristian had smothered his flame in a snow bank before he rounded the last corner. Kristian still doesn't want anyone to find out about his powers just yet. Besides, Kristian already knows that he is in trouble because of his relationship with Goran and the Duke of Weselton. So Kristian sees no need to make things worse.

"Olaf told me you need help to dig out Elsa, and I figured that I owe her at least that much," says Kristian.

"This is all your fault!" exclaims Anna as she steps towards Kristian. "If it wasn't for you Elsa would not be trapped right now! I don't want you even near …. ."

Before Anna can finish her sentence Kristoff grabs a hold of Anna and interrupts her. "Thanks, we can use all the help we can get."

Anna looks over at Kristoff in disbelief. Meanwhile, Kristian walks forward. "I know how to handle problems like this. I should be able to find a way into this pile in no time," says Kristian. Kristian knows that Anna does not like him at the moment. Still Kristian begins to dig into the pile of snow and ice.

Anna watches Kristian work for a moment, and then she turns back to Kristoff. "How can you accept Kristian's help? Elsa may very well be dead under there and you are willing to allow him to help. He's partly responsible for what has happened in the first place," quietly says Anna to Kristoff.

"Anna, I am aware of his role in what has happened, but he also gave the warning of the avalanche," replies Kristoff. "If it wasn't for him, a lot more of Arendelle would have been destroyed. Not to mention all the lives that his warning did save. Go ahead and blame Kristian if you want, but also realize that he has already helped Arendelle; and right now we need his help again."

While Anna and Kristoff were talking, Kristian looked over his shoulder and noticed that they were not paying any attention to him. So Kristian slips his bare hand into the pile and releases a gentle flame stream into the snow. This stream melts the snow and quickly works its way through to the interior of the pile. The lighter snow melts easily but the ice chunks hardly melt at all. The flame leaves an uneven path to the center. Then a low rumble is heard from the pile as the removed snow allows the rest of the pile to settle.

"What was that?" exclaims Anna as she looks towards the pile.

At this moment, Kristian grabs a hold of a large ice chunk and pulls it over. Behind it was the small and narrow tunnel that his fire had created. "I've found a way in!" exclaims Kristian.

Anna and Kristoff hurry over to where Kristian was and look at the opening. "How did you find that so quickly?" asks Kristoff.

"I just have a knack for this kind of thing," replies Kristian.

"I don't care how he found it. I'm just glad that he did," says Anna excitedly. Anna then moves to enter the narrow opening.

"Wait Anna!" exclaims Kristoff. "It might not be safe."

"But that is my sister in there!" replies Anna. "I have to try and help Elsa!"

"Anna, why don't you let me go in," says Kristian passively. "I'm willing to take the risk and if anything does happen, you won't be losing anyone you care about."

"I don't trust you to go in there alone," replies Anna warily. "Someone will have to go with you."

"Then I will go with him," says Kristoff. "You can take charge of the laborers, which show up to help clear the snow."

"What laborers?" replies Anna? "I will be standing her doing nothing!"

As they were talking, a voice is then heard behind the group. "I'm finally here!" chirps Olaf. "And I have brought lots of help!"

Kristoff, Anna, and Kristian look over to where Olaf was; and behind him stood several villagers with tools.

"Olaf! You're here!" exclaims Anna. "Thank goodness you were able to find more people!"

"Once I told everyone that Elsa needed help, they came right away," replies Olaf. "So what do you want to be done?"

Anna then looks back at Kristoff and Kristian. Anna is anxious about her sister, but knows that there are responsibilities out here for her.

"It will be fine Anna. I can look for Elsa on my own with the help of Kristian," says Kristoff. "And don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her."

"Alright, but you better keep your word," replies Anna as she turns away and heads towards the men that are there to help.

Now Kristoff turns and crawls into the small opening in the pile of snow, and Kristian follows right in after him. After a short distance of traversing the narrow tunnel, Kristian says, "Thanks for standing up for me out there."

"Don't be thanking me," replies Kristoff. "As far as I'm concern, I feel the same way Anna does about you. You're not trust worthy."

"Then why did you accept my help?" asks Kristian.

"Because we needed help, and this was an emergency," replies Kristoff. "Time was important and I couldn't see turning down any sort of help, even if that help is coming from you."

"You could have left me outside and taken one of the other men that had showed up," inquires Kristian.

"I'd rather have you with me than outside with Anna. Besides, you did find this tunnel and we might need that knack of yours again in here," replies Kristoff.

* * *

><p>Outside the pile, Anna has the workmen widen a trail through the hills of snow and ice. It wasn't difficult to do because Kristian had already melted a winding path. The workmen just straighten it and widened it. Once it was wide enough, carts were brought in to haul timbers to the pile for bracing; and to haul the snow and ice away.<p>

Inside the snow and ice pile, Kristoff and Kristian came to an area where they had to crawl on their hands and knees or even their bellies. One area was particularly narrow and Kristoff dislodged a chunk of ice with his leg when he crawled through. It fell down onto Kristoff's back and upper legs.

"Ahh, no!" exclaims Kristoff as the falling ice hurts a bit when it lands. "Dam, I can't get free!" says Kristoff as he struggles to free himself from the ice.

"Hang on Kristoff! Let me see what I can do from back here!" yells Kristian as he inches his way forward to see what is going on.

The light is dim in the tunnel so Kristian allows a flame to arise from the palm of one of his hands. Kristian can now clearly see the ice that has fallen onto Kristoff. With his flaming hand, Kristian begins to melt a break line into the ice.

"What is going on back there?" asks Kristoff. "I think I feel water."

"I'm just working on the ice that has trapped you," replies Kristian. He doesn't want to tell Kristoff how he is doing it though.

In mere moments Kristian is able to break the ice free of Kristoff and drags it back to a wider part of the tunnel.

"How did you do that?" asks Kristoff.

"It's just a gift that I have," replies Kristian.

Kristoff doesn't push the matter, and he begins to crawl again and enters a slightly larger area. "A gift huh. Is it a gift like Elsa has?" inquires Kristoff as he stands up again and waits for Kristian to emerge.

"No, definitely not like Elsa," replies Kristian as he too stands up in the taller section of tunnel.

"Anyway, thanks for the help," says Kristoff as he proceeds down the tunnel.

In a few more yards, the two men come to a chunk of ice poking out of the snow. This chunk has a slight glow to it. "This is Elsa handy work!" exclaims Kristoff.

"Are you sure it is Elsa's?" asks Kristian.

"I've come to know what her work looks likes," replies Kristoff. "There is a flawlessness to her ice and this chunk has that. Help me to clear some of the snow off of it."

The two men brush the snow off the ice and discover a large irregular block of ice. The ice is crystal clear and Kristoff and Kristian are able to look inside the block. What they see inside the block is Elsa. Elsa looks as if time had stopped her in mid fall. One arm is bent above her as if Elsa was trying to shield herself from falling debris. The other arm is slightly bent and extending downward as if to catch her fall.

"No, Elsa," quietly says Kristoff to himself as he takes a step back.

"She has encased herself in ice!" exclaims Kristian in disbelief.

Now Kristoff steps forward again and begins to run his hands over the ice. "Dam, it's like all of her other work. There is not a single crack for us to exploit to get her out," says Kristoff.

"So what now?" asks Kristian. Kristian wants to be left alone with Elsa but doesn't know how to get rid of Kristoff.

"We need some proper tools to get Elsa out of that ice and we need them in a hurry. I don't know how long Elsa can survive in this state," replies Kristoff. "I'll go back out and get the tools. I know were some are kept. You can stay and try to break away some of this ice, since you do seem to have a talent for it." Just as Kristoff is about to leave the area, he turns around and says, "I'm putting a lot of trust in you. I don't want to, but the circumstances require it. So I don't want to be disappointed." Kristoff then leaves the narrow space.

"I won't disappoint you," says Kristian quietly after Kristoff was out of sight.


	14. Chapter 14

Kristian now stands alone in the narrow tunnel inside the large pile of snow and ice. He has just watched Kristoff leave, and now Kristian turns toward the block of ice containing Elsa. Kristian looks on each side of him and says, "First I need some more room."

Kristian places his bare hands on the walls on each side of him. Then flames are seen emerging from under his hands. Kristian stretches his arms out and his flaming hands push into the ice walls. Once his arms are extended, the flames on his hands begin to swirl and grow. The ice melts evenly as the fires grow. Once the swirl of fires reaches the floor, they begin to spiral around Kristian. Kristian pushes this spiral outward until the fire has created a fair size chamber.

Once Kristian is done creating some space, he moves towards the ice containing Elsa and kneels down in front of it. Kristian stretches his hands out in front of himself and his hands flame up. Gently, Kristian places his fingertips onto the block of ice. Soon the fire from his hands spreads smoothly over the surface of the ice, until the fire covers an area nearly 3 feet in diameter. Moments later, small flames from the fire on the surface burrow into the block of ice. Thus cutting small channels into the ice as the flames extend inward. Once the flames near Elsa, they stop burrowing. This is because Kristian has paused for a moment.

What Kristian needs to do next is going to take a great deal of concentration. The trick is to melt the ice, but not to harm Elsa. There is very little margin for error. Kristian takes a deep breath and focuses his power. Now the flames continue inward, but this time they begin to swirl. The flames nearly touch Elsa; and as they do this, their spiraling pattern begin to spiral around Elsa. Her arms are the first to be touched by the flames, and the flames spiral up and down Elsa's arms. Then a separate flame touches Elsa's head and this flame does the same. The flames continue to move around Elsa and extend themselves down the full length of her body.

In meer moments, the flames that surround Elsa begin to widen; and soon Elsa can no longer be seen through the ice. The flames completely cover her body and extend all the way to the fire that covers the surface of the ice block. Once Elsa can no longer be seen through the fire, Kristian pushes his hands into the fire. As he does this, the fire dissipates and Elsa becomes visible. Then Elsa's body goes limp in the cavity that the fire created in the ice. As this happens, Kristian catches Elsa's head and upper body in his arms before they can fall. Kristian then gently pulls Elsa out of the ice and lays her down on the floor of the tunnel.

Elsa is motionless on the floor, and she is not breathing.

* * *

><p>In another part of the tunnel, Kristoff is making his way to the outside. As Kristoff nears the entrance he hears the sound of men working. Kristoff soon sees the movement of men ahead of him.<p>

One of the men ahead of Kristoff yells out to other workers. "Someone is coming out!" yells the man.

A large commotion can be heard as Kristoff enters an area in the tunnel that has been cleared and braced by beams for support. Kristoff quickly walks through the remaining tunnel as the workmen inside the tunnel stop to watch him pass. At the mouth of the tunnel stands Anna. She is waiting for news of Elsa. Outside, Kristoff sees several carts pulled up outside the pile. Kristoff can also see up the street and notices others clearing the snow and ice away from other parts of the street.

As Kristoff nears Anna, Anna asks, "Have you found Elsa, and is she all right?"

"We found her, but I don't know if she is alright," replies Kristoff solemnly. "Elsa has encased herself in a block of ice and we will need tools to get her out."

"No, Elsa," says Anna as she begins to tear up. Now Anna turns to the workmen behind her and says loudly, "Elsa has been found but she has encased herself in ice! We need tools to free her from her frozen prison!"

Kristoff then steps forward and addresses the men as well. "We need ice saws and picks! Wedges and splitters will be needed as well! I will also need a few men who will be willing to enter the pile with me to work to free the queen! The space will be tight so no more than three men will be able to come!"

The workers outside begin to rush around and gather the tools that will be needed. In a few minutes, the tools are gathered and a whole line of men are about ready to offer to take the risk of entering the pile.

* * *

><p>Inside the large pile of snow and ice, Kristian kneels over Elsa's body. Kristian has his hand on Elsa's shoulder, and he tries to gently shake her awake. "Elsa. Elsa. You can't go like this," says Kristian as no signs of life are seen coming from Elsa.<p>

Finally Kristian stops shaking Elsa and his head drops. Then Kristian sits upright and lifts a hand up in front of his face. Soon Kristian's energy begins to move over the top of his open palm. It isn't fire, but it is Kristian's energy in its purest form. With this energy moving around the top of his hand, Kristian looks down upon Elsa and says, "Elsa…, I hope that your heart can take this."

Kristian then moves his hand over Elsa's chest, and his energy flashes downward entering Elsa. Once this happens, a burst of cold energy rapidly exits Elsa's body. It strikes everything around it. When this energy hits Kristian, his whole body flares up with fire. "NO!" exclaims Kristian as his powers react to this cold energy. Kristian concentrates to reduce his flame, and he quickly moves away from Elsa. The last thing he wants to do is to set Elsa on fire.

Also because of Elsa's energy, the walls of the tunnel develop ice shards on their surfaces. These shards continue to grow inward to the center of the tunnel. In reaction to this, Kristian stands up. Then with a flaming hand, Kristian spins around unleashing a ring of fire. This fire quickly melts the ice shards away.

Then from behind his back, Kristian hears a gasp of air. Kristian turns around and sees some slight movement from Elsa. Kristian then moves quickly over to Elsa's side, and he falls onto his knees. "Elsa! Can you hear me?" exclaims Kristian as he places his hands onto Elsa's shoulders. As Kristian does this, his sleeves frost over. Kristian is a little startled by this rapid frost development, but he is unharmed. Kristian's own powers have protected him from Elsa's magic.

After Kristian's reaction, Elsa's eyes open for a brief moment before closing again. "It's all right Elsa. You just take it easy. I'll get you out of here," says Kristian as he slides and arm under Elsa's back and then her legs.

Then Kristian lifts Elsa off the ground and turns towards the way out. Elsa is nearly out of it, but she still manages to wrap her arms around Kristian's neck. Elsa's magic powers begin to cause a frost to develop over the entire torso of Kristian. Meanwhile, Kristian allows Elsa's legs to fall as he raises that hand towards the exit. From that hand a horizontal cyclone of fire emerges and grows in intensity. Kristian grows this cyclone forward and it grows in size until it is taller than a man. This cyclone rapidly melts the snow and ice, and continues to extend forward. It continues to burrow through the pile until it exits into the tunnel being created by the workmen of Arendelle.

Outside, Kristoff has selected the men who will enter the pile with him. They were just about to enter the tunnel when a low rumbling whoosh was heard coming from the tunnel. Then shouts of fear were heard as the workmen in the tunnel started to run out of the tunnel. Steam also emerges from the tunnel entrance. This steam was created by the melting snow and ice from Kristian's fire.

"What's happening?" asks a concerned Anna as she moves forward to intercept some of the escaping workmen.

"A fire ball came out of the tunnel!" exclaims one of the workmen as he moves away from the tunnel.

"No! Elsa! What has Kristian done!" exclaims Anna as she moves towards the tunnel entrance.

"Wait a second Anna!" exclaims Kristoff as he catches up to Anna. "Let things calm down a bit before you enter. Things could be unstable."

Anna turns to Kristoff and replies, "But Elsa is in there and she needs me."

"Kristian is also in there and he would not place himself at risk," says Kristoff. "Right now, he is the best chance of Elsa surviving this explosion."

"Kristian may have caused the explosion in an attempt to hurt Elsa!" replies Anna.

"Anna, he would not have caused the explosion while he was in the pile," responds Kristoff. "Such an act could have brought everything down upon him."

Anna looks back at the tunnel. "Yes, your right," says Anna with concern. "Kristian wouldn't have caused it."

As everyone is watching the tunnel, a shape is seen coming through the fog and steam in the tunnel. Finally the figure emerges out of the fog into the open air. What everyone sees is this large whitish figure carrying the Queen of Arendelle.

"Elsa!" exclaims Anna as she rushes forward to her sister.

"Careful!" says the white figure. "Elsa magic is going crazy. You could get injured if you're careless."

Anna looks at Elsa and the white figure. The voice of the white figure seems familiar to Anna. "Is that you Kristian?" asks Anna.

"Yes, its me," replies the white figure, who just happened to be Kristian.

Kristian looks like a snowman. He is covered from head to toe by a heavy layer of snow and frost. Even his skin has developed a white frost on it. Right now, Kristian is desperately trying to suppress his magic powers. Since Kristian doesn't want to aggravate Elsa's powers, and he doesn't want anyone outside to know about his magic either.

"Elsa is really out of it but she seems to be OK," says Kristian.

Now Kristoff whistles for Sven, and Sven comes forward pulling his cart. "Here, you can place Elsa on my cart," says Kristoff.

Kristian moves towards the cart and Anna moves just in front of him. Anna stays close to Elsa, and she looks back at her sister. As they near the cart, Kristoff pulls his gloves off and hands them to Anna. Anna pulls on Kristoff's gloves while Kristian lays Elsa onto the back of the cart. Then Kristoff climbs into the driver's seat of the cart and takes the reins while Anna climbs on the back with Elsa. Anna then reaches out and holds one of Elsa's hands while wearing the gloves that Kristoff gave her. The gloves develop a frost layer on them but Anna doesn't care. Finally Kristian steps back away from the cart.

"Let's go Sven! Back to the palace!" says Kristoff as he cracks the reins.

Just as the cart begins to move, Anna looks up at Kristian with a tear in her eye. "Thank you," says Anna with gratitude.

Sven takes off for the palace at a quick and steady pace. Meanwhile, Kristian is left behind looking like a large snowman. Plus, all the workmen stand and watch the cart leave; but once it is out of sight the workmen go back to removing the snow from the street. Yet, Kristian remains standing there looking down the street where the cart had gone.

Of course, Olaf has been hanging with the workmen at the pile. However, now Olaf walks over to Kristian and stands next to him and looks down the street as well. After a moment, Olaf says, "The two of you made a rather impressive exit." Olaf then looks up at Kristian and says, "That fire was your doing wasn't it?"

It was the easiest way to get Elsa out of there," replies Kristian as he keeps looking down the street. "It was a risk but I couldn't see making it through those narrow tunnels carrying her."

"I'm not complaining, but you did scare a lot of people," says Olaf.

Kristian looks down at Olaf and replies, "Fire and ice are a dangerous combination."

"I think it is a cool combination," replies Olaf happily. "You even got a really cool look on you now."

Kristian looks down at himself and sees that he is totally covered. "I look like a big snowman!" exclaims Kristian in surprise.

"I think it is the best look of all!" replies Olaf. "What could be better than looking like a happy snowman?"

"I don't feel all that happy," says Kristian. "I would much prefer to have my old look back." Kristian begins to look around the area. "I need to find someplace secluded," says Kristian.

"Follow me!" chirps Olaf as he quickly moves up the street towards the palace. "There is a nice little alley up this way, that will be quiet!"

So Kristian follows Olaf up the street. A street that is busy with people removing the snow from the avalanche. Yet the buildings managed to survive intact because Elsa had stopped the moving force of the avalanche. However, when the partial dome collapsed, it buried parts of the village. Finally Olaf reaches an alley just at the edge of the collapsed dome and motions for Kristian to enter. Kristian enters the alleyway and Olaf follows him.

Once in the alley, Kristian turns around and looks out into the street. Kristian just wants to make sure that he has some privacy for what he is going to do next. Standing perfectly still with his arms held out at his sides, Kristian focuses his powers. A glow can be seen coming from under the snow around his lower chest. In a moment a flame bursts through the snow and forms a circle of fire around Kristian's chest. Once the circle of fire is complete, it splits into two circles. One of the circle moves up and the other circle moves down. These two rings of fire evaporate the snow on Kristian's body. As the rings move, Kristian raises his arms in the air as the fire climbs his body. Once the fires reach his feet and his fingertips the flames go out. Now Kristian drops his arms and stands free of the snow.

"Wow! Instant heat wave!" says Olaf.

Kristian looks over at Olaf and smiles. "You should see me when I'm really hot," says Kristian with some slight sarcasm.

"Now that you are dry and crispy, what will you be doing now?" asks Olaf.

"I'm concerned about Elsa. I may have gotten her out of the ice, but her powers were so unstable. I'm afraid that my magic powers may have over activated Elsa's own abilities," replies Kristian.

"Then we should see if Elsa is OK," says Olaf. "Are we off to the palace then?"

Kristian walks out to the street and looks over to the palace off in the distance. "You can go and check up on her. It would be better if I stay away," replies Kristian.

"Aw come on, Kristian," says Olaf trying to coax him to come along. "It will be fine. Everyone will be grateful for what you have done. You will be welcomed as a hero."

"Maybe, but I'm more worried about aggravating Elsa's abilities," says Kristian.

"If you are worried about that, all you have to do is inquire about how Elsa is doing. You don't have to go in and see her. So will you come with me?" says Olaf.

Kristian looks down at Olaf and with a sigh says, "Sure Olaf. I can head to the palace with you, but it would be best if I stayed outside."

"That's fine!" says Olaf as he begins to trot to the palace. "You'll see. Everything will be all right at the palace!"

So Kristian hurries after Olaf and catches up to him. Then the two of them walk alongside each other down the street to the palace.

* * *

><p>At the palace, Sven has pulled up into the courtyard. Once the cart has stopped, Kristoff hops off the cart and heads to the back of the cart. On the back, Anna is with her sister Elsa. Anna has been holding Elsa's hand with one hand, and she has been placing her other hand against Elsa's head to steady it during the cart ride. The gloves that Anna was wearing have been totally covered in frost. The frost has even covered parts of her dress and has even moved up her sleeves.<p>

A servant exits from the main door and Anna gives an order to him. "Get a stretcher! The queen has been injured!"

When the stretcher arrives, Kristoff takes his gloves back from Anna and lifts Elsa up off the cart and places Elsa onto the stretcher. "Careful with her," says Kristoff as he brushes some of the frost off of himself caused by Elsa's powers. "The queen's abilities are acting up."

"We are prepared," responds one of the royal guards. He turns to the others and gives a command. "You heard him! Gloves on!"

The men, that are there, pull gloves out and place them on their hands. Then four of the men go and grab a corner of the stretcher and lift it off the ground.

"Take the queen to her room," says Anna as the stretcher is carried into the palace.

As Elsa is carried in, Anna walks alongside the stretcher and Kristoff follows. As the group moves toward the staircase, a servant comes forward and hands Anna a pair of gloves. Anna pulls these gloves on and once again places her hand on Elsa's hand.

Soon the servants and the royal guards carry Elsa up to her room. Once there, it is Kristoff that places Elsa onto her bed. Once Elsa was placed on her bed, one of the head servants directs everyone out of the room but he remains inside with Kristoff and Anna. "Shall I light a fire, miss?" asks the servant.

Anna, who is sitting on the side of the bed next to Elsa, looks over to the servant. "Elsa isn't bothered by the cold," says Anna. Now Anna looks back at her sister and continues, "She needs rest to recover from her ordeal and I hope that is all she needs."

"Perhaps there is something that I can get for you, your highness," asks the servant.

Anna looks back at the servant and says, "Some tea would be nice and could you bring one of my winter capes as well. I don't wish to leave Elsa's side."

"I will get them at once, your highness," replies the servant with a slight bow as he turns and leaves the room.

After the servant has left, Anna turns back to her sister. As Anna sits there with Elsa, Kristoff walks up behind her and places a hand on Anna's shoulder. Anna glances over to Kristoff's hand and reaches up and places her own hand on top of his. Then Anna looks back down at Elsa.

"Is there anything that I can do for you?" asks Kristoff.

"Being here with me is enough," replies Anna. "It's just hard for me to see Elsa like this. I've been reconnecting with my sister this past year, and I don't want it to end."

"I am sure Elsa will be OK," says Kristoff trying to comfort Anna.

"She will be OK," replies Anna. "She has to be."


	15. Chapter 15

Out on the streets of Arendelle, the villagers are busy removing the snow and ice from the avalanche. Yet in the unaffected parts of town there is almost no activity. However, there are two figures walking their way to the palace gates. One figure is Olaf, a happy and often carefree snowman that Elsa had created. The other figure is Kristian. He is a stranger in these parts with a unique gift. He is in a sullen mode. After all, the fact that Kristian came to Arendelle is the reason that Elsa is in her current state of health.

Soon Kristian and Olaf reach the bridge that leads to the palace. Here Kristian stops walking. Olaf turns to look at him and asks, "Are you sure you don't want to come in and say hello?"

"It is for the best Olaf," replies Kristian. "My being in there could cause Elsa's magic to go off unexpectedly, and my own reaction to her magic powers could possibly do the same."

"If you are certain that you won't come in, will you at least wait for me to come out and give you the good news?" asks Olaf.

"I will wait here for your return, Olaf," replies Kristian.

"Then I will return as quickly as I can with news," says Olaf as he waves goodbye and trots off into the palace.

Up in Elsa's room; Kristoff is sitting in a chair, drinking a cup of tea. Where as, Anna had placed her cup of tea on a side table and is lying down next to Elsa. Anna watches her sister breathe and she can just barely see the cold air come rushing out of Elsa's mouth as she breaths. While laying on the bed, Anna had wrapped herself in a winter cape that a servant had brought to her. Elsa's magic has caused a light snow to cover the bed and Anna's cape. The room has developed a frost on all of its surfaces as well.

It is during this time that Olaf comes walking into the room. "Hi guys!" says Olaf cheerfully. "It is a great relief to have Elsa rescued from her little avalanche encounter."

Anna sits up on the bed and responds to Olaf. "I'm grateful that we were able to get Elsa out, but she is still unresponsive and that worries me."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," replies Olaf. "By looking at this room, I would say Elsa is doing just fine. The frost level in here is quite low for Elsa and she does look like she is resting comfortably."

Anna was about to object to this when Kristoff speaks. "Olaf does have a point. When Kristian first brought her out, he was covered from head to toe in a heavy layer of snow. You have been with her for some time now and all you got was a light dusting. She must be doing better."

Anna looks around the room, and then looks back at the bed and Elsa. She begins to agree with this sentiment. Elsa did look peaceful lying on her bed, and she did not look like she was in stress. "Perhaps you're right," replies Anna. "Elsa does look like she is resting well."

"So Olaf, did you come alone?" asks Kristoff. "The last time I saw you, you were standing next to Kristian."

"Kristian came too, but he didn't want to come into the palace," replies Olaf. "He is waiting outside on the bridge for me to bring some news back about Elsa."

"He's not coming in?" questions Kristoff. "I know we all have been a little hard on him, but not that hard."

Anna gets up and walks over to the window. "Earlier Kristian said he wanted to end things with Elsa. He was going to explain why but we all got distracted. He said it had to do with him being dangerous to Elsa. Maybe that danger still exists," says Anna as she opens the window and looks out.

At the far end of the bridge, Anna sees Kristian leaning his back against the stone rail of the bridge. Olaf walks up alongside of Anna and looks out the window as well. "Your closer to the truth than you realize, Anna," says Olaf. "In Kristian's mind, he does think he is a danger; but I think he is over emphasizing the threat."

Anna has an inquisitive look on her face, but before she can say anything Olaf shouts out the window. "Hey Kristian, Elsa is resting peacefully!"

Kristian stands upright and looks up at the palace after hearing Olaf's voice. His eyes soon fall on the funny little snowman. What Kristian sees is Olaf waving vigorously. Kristian waves back at the snowman. Anna, who was standing next to Olaf, feels a little embarrassed by Olaf's loud display. Yet even she politely waves back at Kristian.

"I'll be down in a few minute to give you more details!" continues to shout Olaf.

Kristoff was still sitting in his chair, but he was looking at Anna and Olaf staring out the window. Then what everyone heard after Olaf's shout was a weak voice. "Olaf?" asks the voice.

Everyone turns around and looks over to Elsa. What they all see is Elsa lying on her bed with her hand lifted up to her head. Anna was the first one to react. Anna quickly runs over to her sister's side. "Elsa!" says Anna excitedly as she moves to give her sister a hug.

"My powers," says Elsa weakly as she raises a forearm to try and block Anna's advance.

Anna goes and grabs Elsa's hand in her own gloved hands. "It's all right Elsa, you haven't hurt anyone," says Anna.

Elsa looks at their joined hands and sees the gloves on her sister's hands. Elsa also sees some frost develop on those gloves from her powers. The frost was light and Elsa begins to relax and allows her arm to go limp. Anna lays Elsa's hand down on Elsa's lower chest. Anna then leans down and gives her sister a hug. "You had me worried Elsa," says Anna with a tear running down her face. "I thought that I might have lost you."

Elsa reaches up with her free arm and places it over Anna's back. "It's OK Anna," says Elsa. "I thought I was going to be a goner too, but I will be fine now."

Anna releases Elsa and sits up on the bed. Elsa looks up at her sister; and out of the corner of her eye, Elsa sees Kristoff and Olaf standing behind Anna. Elsa looks over to them and says, "I thought that I heard your voice, Olaf."

Olaf steps forward and says, "I'm glad that you survived your experience. That was a lot of snow that fell on top of you."

"Yes it was," replies Elsa as her head rests on her pillow. "And Arendelle, how did it fair?"

"About a third of the village got buried, but thanks to you it was spared the full force of the avalanche," replies Anna.

"It will take time to clear all the snow, but Arendelle should recovery without any difficulty," adds Kristoff.

"Arendelle is buried?" questions Elsa. Then Elsa tries to get up. While trying to get up Elsa says, "Arendelle needs me. I have to… Ohh." Elsa was not yet physically ready to get up, and she falls back down onto her bed.

"Elsa. You have already done more for Arendelle than anyone else," says Anna as she moves and places a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "What you need now is rest. I can take care of things for now. People are already busy removing the snow from the village. The most important thing you can do right now is to recover."

Elsa lets out an exhaustive sigh. "OK Anna. I will do as you say." So Elsa then closes her eyes.

As Elsa begins to doze off, Anna moves to the others and whispers, "Let's let here rest." Then Anna motions for everyone to leave the room. Out in the hall, Anna speaks to Kristoff. "Kristoff, I need you to organize the snow removal."

"Sure thing, but what exactly did you have in mind," replies Kristoff.

"Goods have to be able to come in and out of Arendelle," says Anna. "So the main road out the village should be the priority, along with the docks. I need people to focus on those areas. While you are doing that, I will have the palace ready to house those people whose homes are still buried in the snow."

"Sven and I will head out right away and inform everyone. Don't worry, Arendelle is our home too and we will do what we can for it," says Kristoff.

Kristoff starts to leave and Olaf turns to Anna and says, "I should head out too and tell Kristian the good news about Elsa."

"Sure, and thank him for me. For how he helped Elsa," replies Anna.

"OK I will," says Olaf as he begins to walk away. "Bye Anna," says Olaf as he waves.

Anna waves goodbye to Olaf and heads off to get the palace ready to house several villagers for the night.

* * *

><p>Outside in the palace courtyard, Kristoff was climbing onto his cart when Olaf walks out the main door. "Olaf, are you coming along with me?"<p>

"No, I'm going to tell Kristian about Elsa. He is waiting out on the bridge," replies Olaf.

"Hop on, I can give you a ride there," says Kristoff.

"Thanks!" replies Olaf as he climbs onto the cart next to Kristoff.

Once Olaf is settled, Kristoff gets the cart moving out the palace gates. At the far end of the bridge, stands Kristian. He moves out of the way of the approaching cart and notices Kristoff and Olaf on the cart. The cart slows as it nears and stops in front of Kristian.

"Hi Kristian!" says Olaf as he climbs down off the cart. "I've got good news. Elsa opened her eyes and spoke."

"She's OK then," replies Kristian.

"Elsa is weak but fine otherwise," says Kristoff. "All she needs is rest. Then she should be up and moving around in no time."

"Elsa has been fortunate," replies Kristian as he is relieved about her condition, but worried about what still lies ahead for Elsa.

"Her fortune improved when you showed up," says Kristoff.

Kristian looks up at Kristoff with some confusion. "The only fortune I brought was misfortune," replies Kristian. "Since, I am indirectly working for the Duke."

"True, but if the Duke had hired someone else instead of your friend, Elsa may not have been warned about an attack," says Kristoff.

"Don't forget, it was also you who got Elsa out of her ice coffin," adds Olaf.

"Maybe," quietly says Kristian as he contemplates what Kristoff and Olaf had said.

"Oh, and Anna says thank you for helping Elsa," adds Olaf.

After a slight pause in the conversation, Kristoff speaks up. "Well, I've got to get going. Sven and I are put in charge of snow removal. Arendelle is going to need some help if it is going to recover from this mess. See ya around Kristian."

Kristoff waves good bye as he heads off on his cart. Kristian returns the wave and so does Olaf. "You could always help you know," says Olaf.

"One more labor won't make that much of a difference," replies Kristian.

"Are you kidding?" says Olaf. "You could do more work than twenty men! With your magic, you could clear streets in no time."

"Olaf!" exclaims Kristian in disagreement. "For me to do that would mean I would have to create a blazing inferno. People would be scared of that and of me. I should be leaving for that alone, before someone discovers what I am."

"But you haven't left yet," replies Olaf. "It makes me wonder why. Could it be my irresistible charm or my awe inspiring physique?"

Olaf makes a few moves as if he is showing off his muscular body. All that Kristian sees though are bending stick arms and a snow belly that sticks out over short squat legs. "No offense Olaf, but I have seen better bodies on other people here in Arendelle," says Kristian as he smirks at Olaf's movements.

"Not into the traditional snowman build then," cheekily replies Olaf. "I'm guessing you're more into that hour glass shape that someone like Elsa has." Olaf notices Kristian turn a little red from his suggestion. "That's it!" exclaims Olaf. "You fancy Elsa. That's why you're hanging around. You're in love."

"Elsa just fascinates me," replies Kristian sheepishly. "Here she is, living openly in Arendelle and freely associating with everyone. I envy and admire her for what she has accomplished."

"It is more than just that," says Olaf. "If you didn't care about Elsa, you wouldn't have helped her like you did; and now you can help Elsa again. Her home is buried under snow and ice. You can do a lot to solve that problem. If you are worried about people seeing you work, I can take you to parts of the village where no one will be. You can work in total privacy. So what do you say? Will you help?"

Kristian looks down the road to where Kristoff had gone and into the hillside where the snow stands tall above the village. Kristian then turns and looks back at the palace and the open window that Olaf had shouted from. With a slight sigh, Kristian says, "You sure you can find an unoccupied part of the village?"

"That won't be a problem," replies Olaf. "Everyone will be working on the main road, if they are not at the palace."

Kristian looks down at Olaf and says, "If you can find a place Olaf, I will do what I can."

"Then follow me!" exclaims Olaf as he begins to trot away with a happy giggle. Kristian follows the happy little snow and smiles as he watches Olaf's silly reaction.

* * *

><p>An hour or so has passed since Elsa first woke from her encasement in ice. Now Elsa rests comfortably on her bed. Elsa is almost asleep and no one is with her in her room. Anna is busy getting the palace ready to house many people. Kristoff and Sven are working on removing the snow and ice on the main road. Meanwhile, Kristian has been led to a residential part of the village by Olaf. While there, Kristian is using his powers of fire to melt the snow and ice around the homes. A steady stream of water flows down the street Kristian is on, all the way down to the water's edge.<p>

Up on the window ledge of Elsa's open window, a song bird has landed and it starts to sing. The bird song brings Elsa around and she opens her eyes. Since Elsa is aroused, she turns her head to look at the bird and smiles. "Hello little friend. Are you here to tell me the good news of my home?" inquires Elsa playfully.

The bird continues to sing and Elsa slowly pulls herself up to sit on the edge of her bed. Elsa steadies herself with her arms as she sits there watching the bird sing. A sad smile remains on her face as Elsa looks at her colorful visitor. Elsa knows that Arendelle is suffering now because of her, but the song bird represents a hope that she has that Arendelle will still thrive.

Now Elsa slowly raises herself and takes a few steps over to the chair that Kristoff was sitting in earlier. Elsa steadies herself by leaning on the back of that chair. Now Elsa closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. "Spring still refuses to be undone by the snow," says Elsa as she can smell the fragrances of the spring air.

Then Elsa continues her walk towards the window. Elsa is a little steadier now in her movements. As she nears the window, the song bird flies away and Elsa leans against the wall near the window. She looks out the window and sees the large amount of snow that covers Arendelle. Elsa can also see the villagers working on removing the snow and ice. Cart loads of material are being dumped into the fiord waters by the workers. It saddens Elsa to see her home in this state.

"It is my fault that you had to suffer Arendelle," says Elsa to herself. "If I wasn't who I am this wouldn't have happened." However, there is contentment as well. Elsa's village has survived this disaster and its people are working on bringing it back to life.

As Elsa stands looking out the window, she hears the door of her room open. Elsa turns around to see her sister Anna enter the room with a serving tray. Anna notices that Elsa is no longer in bed but instead is standing by the window.

"Elsa, you should still be in bed," says Anna out of concern.

Elsa stands facing her sister and replies, "I'm feeling fine Anna. I'm just a little fatigued, that's all. After a while, it gets boring just lying in bed."

"If you are feeling better, then maybe you would like something to eat," says Anna as she carries her tray over to a side table that sits next to a chair. "I brought you some soup in case you wanted it."

"No thank you," replies Elsa as she turns back towards the open window. "I'm not all that hungry."

"Some tea and honey then?" asks Anna.

Elsa looks back at her sister and smiles. "You are bound and determined to have me consume something aren't you?" replies Elsa.

"I would feel better if you did," replies Anna with a smile. "It will help to bring your energy back and make you feel better."

"Very well, one cup of tea will be fine," says Elsa as she turns to face Anna.

Anna begins to pour the tea as Elsa walks over to Anna. Elsa then accepts the cup of tea from her sister. Then Anna goes and picks up the honey jar as Elsa sits herself down in the chair. Elsa then accepts some honey in her tea from Anna. Elsa takes a sip from her cup and leans back in her chair.

"Would you like a biscuit cookie with your tea?" asks Anna as she lifts a square tin with the cookies in them.

Elsa looks at her sister with a mischievous scowl on her face as she takes one of the cookies. "Are you going to become my personal servant then?" asks Elsa with a light sarcastic tone as she takes a bit of a cookie.

"Only for today," replies Anna with a smile as she sits herself down on the bed. "I am glad that you are feeling better and you even look better. For a while there you had everyone in the village worried about you."

Elsa takes another sip of tea and says, "I wonder if I truly deserve all their concern."

"What are you talking about?" asks Anna. "You are the Queen of Arendelle! Everyone in the village loves and respects you."

"It is also because of me that the village is buried under a mountain of snow," counters Elsa. "If it wasn't for the magic that I possess, this avalanche would never have happened."

"This isn't your fault, Elsa," replies Anna. "There are always challenges to every kingdom. Yours are just a little different. No one in Arendelle will ever blame you for this. They are actually grateful that you stopped the destructive force of the avalanche. The only ones that they really will be blaming are the people who caused it in the first place."

Elsa takes another sip from her cup as she contemplates what Anna has just said. "Kristian would be among one of those responsible," says Elsa. "You were right to be concerned about him. He let it happen and Kristian hasn't even bothered to show his face afterwards."

"It's nice of you to admit that I was right," replies Anna. "But you also have been right about him."

Elsa is puzzled by Anna's comment. "How can we both be right?" asks Elsa. "He can't be acting against me and for me, can he?"

Anna leans forward on the bed with her hands down on the bed. Then Anna says, "Elsa, we both know that Kristian came here to do you harm for the Duke of Weselton; and yes, he didn't do anything to stop the avalanche. However, what you don't know is what he did afterwards. Kristoff and I knew you were buried in the avalanche and we were the first ones to find the mound that you were buried in. We did our best to try and dig you out but had little success. Then Kristian showed up after Olaf asked him for help. It was only mere moments after Kristian showed up that he found a way into the pile. He and Kristoff crawled in to search for you and found you in a block of ice."

"Ice!" exclaims Elsa with surprise as she sets her cup down. "Did I actually encase myself in ice?"

"Kristoff said you did, after he crawled back out to get tools to free you from your tomb," replies Anna. "While he was getting ready to go back in something fearful happened. I'm not sure exactly what happened but some kind of fire erupted from the pile. The next thing I really understood was seeing you carried out of the large snow pile. Kristian had found some way of getting you out."

"He actually came back to help me," says Elsa with a smile to herself.

"Yes, and you should have seen him carrying you," says Anna. "He was covered from head to toe in a thick layer of snow."

"Snow?" questions Elsa. "Did I do that to him?"

"Your powers were going crazy, but he seemed to be alright," replies Anna with a smile. "He just looked like an over sized snowman."

"Poor Kristian," says Elsa as a smile comes to her face. "He must have looked ridiculous covered in snow."

"I guess he did," replies Anna with a smile. "I really didn't think about it. I was too concerned with you at that moment. Let's just call it a fair retribution for his past transgressions against you."

"Oh Anna," says Elsa with a smile as she shakes her head in a negative fashion. Anna just giggles at Elsa's reaction. "So did Kristian come to the palace to see me then?" asks Elsa.

"He came to the palace with Olaf, but he stayed outside," replies Anna. "Olaf said he was concerned about harming you. Olaf said he was over emphasizing the risk but I wish I knew what that risk was."

Elsa stands up and begins to walk over to the window. "I wish I knew what it was too," says Elsa. "Kristian was going to tell us about it before all this happened." Soon Elsa reaches the open window and looks out. Anna follows Elsa to the window and looks out over her shoulder. As Elsa leans on the window sill, she says, "I just hope that he will come back and try to tell us again."

"I'm sure he will come back," replies Anna. "He will to want to see how you are doing, after all. You certainly managed to strike a chord with him."

Elsa glances over her shoulder at Anna and smiles before looking back out the window. Elsa looks down at the main road where most of the villagers are working. Then in another part of the village, Elsa notices something. "What is that?" asks a puzzled Elsa.

Anna steps closer to the window and looks out. "I'm not sure. It almost looks like smoke," replies an uncertain Anna.

Just then a flash of flame is seen rising above the snow that covers the village. "It's a fire!" exclaims Elsa as she steps back in dread. She then turns and runs for the door.

"Elsa wait!" shouts Anna as Elsa leaves the room. Anna then runs after her sister. Anna manages to catch up to her sister as she runs down the stairs. "Elsa, what are you doing? You need to rest!" exclaims Anna.

"How can I sit back when Arendelle is burning?" exclaims Elsa. "I have to do what I can to protect it!"


	16. Chapter 16

After seeing a fire in the village of Arendelle, Elsa is running towards the fire to try and extinguish the blaze; and Anna is following her. In mere moments the sisters reach the edge of the snow that covers Arendelle. As they reach the deeper areas of snow, Elsa creates a simple ice walkway over the tops of the snow hills to make it easier to traverse the rough terrain of the avalanche. After a few moments, Elsa and Anna are surprised to come to an area of the village where the snow is nearly completely gone. Houses here stand free of the snow while tall walls of snow stand surrounding them. In simplest terms, it looks like the houses were built in a small canyon. The sisters slow to a walk as they stare in amazement.

"What is going on?" asks Anna as she looks around. "Why isn't this area buried under the snow?"

"I'm not sure," replies Elsa as she too examines her surroundings. "Some sort of magic must be at work here."

Both Anna and Elsa continue to walk through this canyon made of snow. They soon come across a stream of water running down the street with chunks of ice and debris in it. This stream eventually makes it way all the way to the fiord waters. "The snow is melting and it is melting at a rapid rate," comments Elsa.

"The fire we saw must be causing it," replies Anna.

"Very likely, but why are the house untouched then?" asks Elsa. "The fire should have at least damaged these homes but there isn't a mark on them."

The canyon makes a sharp turn up ahead and the sisters soon reach this corner. The first thing that they see around the corner is Olaf. Olaf was picking up some of the debris and ice and dumping them into the stream of water. The water then carries this material away. After a few steps more, the next thing that Anna and Elsa see is a large wall of fire. Elsa increases her speed when she sees the fire. This is because Elsa wants to try to extinguish this fire. However, before Elsa even has an opportunity to reach the spot where Olaf was at, Elsa stops.

What causes Elsa to stop is what she saw ahead of her. The wall of fire was in full view and at the center of this wall stood a man, a man that Elsa recognizes. It was Kristian. Kristian has his arms stretched out in front of him, and from his hands fire shoots out. The fire expands from his hands creating the fire wall that Elsa sees. Out of pure shock, Elsa stands there watching the fire inferno devour the wall of snow in front of it.

Kristian has to walk forward to keep the inferno near the snow that was just in front of it. Shortly, Kristian comes to one of the houses in Arendelle. Just as the house is visible, Kristian changes the wall of fire into two swirling fire towers. It was during the creation of these towers that Olaf notices Elsa standing a few yards away with a look of total disbelief.

"Hey Kristian, can I talk to you!" shouts Olaf to be heard over the roar of the fire.

"Olaf, I need to concentrate! This next step needs a delicate touch!" Kristian shouts back as he keeps his back to Olaf and Elsa.

Kristian then proceeds to move the two towers closer to the house. Soon these fire towers begin to move alongside the outer walls of the structure. The flames lightly touch the outside of the house and steam can be seen rising from the walls as the fires move past the walls. In under a minute, the two fires have completely gone around the building and have met up behind the structure. Once the fires have joined together, they begin to decrease in intensity and eventually are extinguished in the snow. The house now stands completely out of the snow. The only snow that remains is on the roof.

"Is it OK to talk now?" asks Olaf.

"What is it that you want to say Olaf," replies Kristian. Kristian still has his back towards Olaf and Elsa. Kristian now has his palms upright, and the small flames in his palms grow in intensity.

"I was just wondering is it really such a bad thing if Elsa finds out about your magic powers?" asks Olaf.

"I can't see it ending well. Fire and ice are just natural opposites. One will always attack the other," replies Kristian as he shoots his flame up onto the snow that is on the roof of the house.

"Ya, but…," begins Olaf as he is about to tell Kristian about Elsa's presence.

However, Elsa has now walked forward. Since Elsa has recovered from her initial shock. "Just let him speak, Olaf," quietly says Elsa, as she interrupts the snowman.

"There is no "But" about it," replies Kristian to Olaf as Kristian continues to work on removing the snow. "It has already happen more than once with Elsa and me. Most have been minor reactions, but the one that occurred when I pulled Elsa out of ice block was severe. Elsa's magic powers reacted violently when I used my own to revive her. Then my own powers did the same from hers. I was lucky that I was able to control my magic before any real damage was done to either of us. So do you really think that Elsa would allow someone who is as dangerous as I am to her and Arendelle to remain?"

"That is what you are worried about," says Elsa. "My reaction to what you really are."

Hearing Elsa's voice startles Kristian and his fire flares up wildly. This rapid flare up catches the edge of the roof on fire. As this happens, Kristian quickly turns around to face Elsa with both of his hands still covered in flames. There is fear in his eyes as Kristian sees Elsa standing near Olaf.

Suddenly, Elsa raises her own hand and shoots out a blast of snow. In response, Kristian raises his own hand and the fire flares up on that hand. He is about to counter attack, but he stops because Elsa's aim was off. The snow flies over Kristian's head and off to the side.

Meanwhile, Anna has come forward in a run and calls out, "Elsa!" Anna is afraid that Kristian is about to attack her sister. Anna soon reaches Elsa, and she places one hand on Elsa's back and the other on Elsa's outstretched arm. With her hands on Elsa, Anna does push Elsa a little but stops when Elsa resists being moved.

Meanwhile, Kristian stands with his arm pushed forward and a fire surging around his hand. As he stands like this, Kristian looks over his shoulder at the direction that Elsa's snow blast went. What he sees is a layer of snow on the roof edge of the house and steam rising from that snow. Elsa had put out the fire that Kristian had accidentally set. The fire around Kristian's hand soon begins to diminish as his fears diminish.

Because of Anna's outburst, Elsa turns to her sister. "What is with this frantic display of yours?" asks Elsa.

"Elsa! Fire! Kristian was going to attack!" exclaims Anna as she looks desperately at Elsa.

"Anna, Kristian was only startled by my presence and my magical projection; and after living with me, how can you be so quick to judge someone with such abilities," replies Elsa as she tries to comfort Anna.

"But Elsa, fire is the most dangerous thing that you have ever faced! Wielded by someone working for the Duke!" says Anna anxiously.

"If Kristian was really a threat Anna, he would have acted before this," says Elsa and then she looks over to Kristian. What Elsa sees is Kristian's arm beginning to drop as the flames on his hands reduce to small flames. "See, there was never any real threat," says Elsa as she nods over in Kristian's direction.

Anna looks over at Kristian and releases Elsa's arm. Anna takes a step back from Elsa and her head drops a little as some feeling of shame enters Anna's mind. Elsa begins to walk toward Kristian and she is followed by Olaf. Meanwhile, Anna stands where she is at. Anna is having a difficult time accepting what she has just learned about Kristian.

As Elsa nears Kristian, she can see the flames on Kristian's hands increase some. This is because Kristian is becoming nervous. Elsa is feeling uncertain about this as well, but Elsa also feels that Kristian would never harm her.

"I see we both are going to have to be careful around one another," says Elsa with a slight smile as she tries to ease the tension.

"I've worked on being careful since we first met," replies Kristian as his nervousness recedes some. As it does, the fire on his hands does the same.

Elsa sees this and her own mood relaxes. "From what I've just heard, you have limited success with that," says Elsa politely.

"Well you have managed to unnerve me now and then," replies Kristian warily.

"I know what that is like," says Elsa sympathetically. "Oh, our first meeting must have been very difficult for you. I'm surprised you kept control during that incident."

"It wasn't easy," replies Kristian as his cautiousness is replaced by a more questioning mind set. "Since, I was suddenly cornered by someone with magic abilities over the cold and snow."

"That was the best moment of all!" chirps Olaf from behind Elsa. Olaf then moves up alongside Elsa as both Kristian and Elsa watch him. "If that moment had not happened, you would have never met Elsa. Without that night you never would have had dinner with Elsa, gazed at the stars, or even had an adventurous day in Arendelle."

"What Olaf says is true," adds Elsa as she looks back at Kristian. "I am grateful for that chance meeting and all those events that followed. I just hope you will reconsider your plans of leaving Arendelle, but if you do decide to leave I wish to still leave you an invitation to return here someday and be my guest at the palace."

"Elsa, how can you still offer me that?" exclaims Kristian as he cannot comprehend what Elsa is thinking. "How can you possibly accept the potential threat that I am? How can you accept this?" asks Kristian in a slightly agitated tone, as he raises a hand up. From this hand a fire erupts and flashes upward in a brief display of energy.

Elsa shifts back a bit with fear from this agitated display, and Anna moves forward with concern for her sister. Meanwhile, Olaf stands still. Olaf looks at Kristian's hand and exclaims, "You can really do some cool things, Kristian! So how high can you make that baby go?"

Kristian's fire diminishes to a small one as he looks at Olaf in surprise. Olaf has unbalanced him once again. Elsa notices this reaction of disbelief, and her momentary fear has now been replaced by amusement and sympathy for Kristian. Now Elsa steps forward as she speaks. "In truth, I would have to admit that the magic you are displaying does concern me, but no more than my own magic concerns me. We both possess abilities that can harm others. Yet, it is how we use those abilities that truly define who we are. You have come to know me and have seen me do what I can for the people of my home, and I have come to know you. Now I have even learned of how you saved me from my burial by the avalanche."

Elsa reaches up with her own hand and grasps Kristian's flaming hand with her own. Kristian doesn't resist for he has experienced it before. However for Elsa, this experience is new; and she has some slight trepidation. The fire on Kristian's hand is quickly extinguished by Elsa's magic. A bright smile then appears on her face as Elsa finally understands how Kristian can touch her even when her magic powers are active. "No wonder you are not afraid of my magic," says Elsa.

"The avalanche!" exclaims Anna as an ominous thought enters her mind. Due to Anna's outburts; Elsa, Kristian, and Olaf look over to Anna. "Elsa! You got buried because your ice dome was collapsed by fire balls! Kristian could have done that!"

Elsa lets go of Kristian's hand and takes a step back as she looks at him. "Kristian?" questions Elsa quietly.

"Kristian couldn't have done it!" exclaims Olaf. "He was with me when the dome failed, and the fire balls came from the other direction." "In fact, he was even responsible for saving Anna and Kristoff from being buried as well," says Olaf as he looks straight at Anna.

"The cold shower," says Anna as it dawns on her what had happened. "It was you that melted all the snow down the main road."

"Um ya, sorry about all that cold water that came down on you," apologizes Kristian. "Olaf said you were on the street and I had no way of knowing where. So I did the best I could and covered as much of the street as possible. If I had known your exact location you wouldn't have felt a drop."

"I'm the one that should be apologizing," replies Anna. "Being drenched in cold water is only a minor inconvenience. Also with all the snow off the street, it made it easy to get back to Elsa."

Elsa looks over at Kristian and says, "You have done so much for us already and neither Anna nor I ever knew about it. Now you're even clearing a whole area of the village. I should repay you some way for your assistance. I know just the thing! I will repay the Duke of Weselton the money he gave you and I will consider the matter resolved."

"Wait a second," interrupts Anna. "Why would the Duke hire you when he wants to eliminate Elsa? After the way the Duke reacted to Elsa's magic, I wouldn't think he would want to associate with anyone with magical powers."

"The Duke doesn't know. Goran and I try to keep others from finding out. If the Duke did find out, I think he would panic," replies Kristian to Anna's question.

"Then can I be the one to tell him?" asks Anna with a devilish smile. "I would like to see the Duke of Weselton come unhinged."

"What! No!" exclaims Kristian. "I've still got to find a way to live! If you tell the Duke, others will find out about me and whatever peace that I did have will be gone! As it is, I am already in trouble with Goran just for associating with the both of you."

Elsa and Anna are both surprised by this outburst; but things are becoming clearer to the sisters as the veils of secrecy are being removed, one at a time. "You were driven out of your home because of your magic, and lost your mother as well because of it," states Elsa. "You've been worried that the same think will happen here in Arendelle."

"It's more than just that, Elsa," replies Kristian. "Since I've been living with Goran, it has been ingrained in me the negative contrast of ice to fire. What you are is everything I was told to fear and to hate. You were supposed to be an enemy who would do anything to harm someone with my abilities, and thus had to be taken care of."

"Do you really believe that?" asks Elsa as she is surprised by this.

"I had no experience to go on. Just the word of Goran," replies Kristian. "However, I thought it would have been better to avoid any contact, but Goran insisted on taking care of you before you really became a bigger problem later."

"And how about now? Do you still believe that I am your enemy?" asks Elsa.

"No, but I can't understand why you would want to tolerate someone like me in your life," replies Kristian.

Elsa steps right up to Kristian, and she looks into his eyes. Then Elsa says, "I know why you think that I wouldn't want you around, but you are not considering why I would." Elsa then reaches up and places a hand on Kristian's cheek and continues, "At times, you have been kind to me; and though you have been keeping secrets, you have always been honest. Finally, I have enjoyed spending time with you; and despite what you claim to be dangerous to the both of us, I still would like to get to know you better. I'm willing to take the risk if you are as well."

Kristian looks into Elsa's eyes and smiles. Elsa has always been smiling but brightens even more when she sees Kristian's smile. Then Kristian's smile fades and he reaches up and grabs a hold of Elsa's hand. Kristian brings Elsa's hand down in front of him, and he looks down at their joined hands. Then Kristian says with concern, "Elsa your life is still in danger."

"I'm in danger? From what?" questions Elsa. "The avalanche failed to do what it was supposed to. There shouldn't be any danger any more, at least for some time anyway."

Kristian looks up at Elsa and says, "When Goran finds out about the failure, he will disregard the risks and face you in the village. Elsa, you need to protect yourself."

"Just how much danger is Elsa in?" asks Anna. "With her magic, Elsa should be able to fend off any ordinary man.

Kristian looks over to Anna and releases Elsa's hand. Then he says, "Goran is no ordinary man. He has already destroyed two people with magical powers over the cold and ice. Elsa's magic is strong, but so is Goran's."

"Wait, magic?" questions Anna. What kind of magic are we talking about?"

"The same as my own," replies Kristian. Both Anna and Elsa are surprised to hear this. Kristian then turns back to Elsa and says, "Goran would have used his powers to bring the avalanche down, and right now he will be recovering from the energy he had put out to cause it. He will wait only a short while before he comes to find out what has happened. Elsa, you need to prepare yourself. You need to protect yourself from his fire."

"Can't you explain to him that I am not a monster?" asks Elsa. "Tell him that I will offer him a place to stay where he won't be bothered by anyone."

"I've already tried twice to dissuade him," replies Kristian. "He's set on this course."

"Talk to him again. Let him know of the life he could have. If you think that won't work, maybe you could lie a little. Just something that will allow us to prepare," says Anna.

"I would prefer if there was a non-confrontational solution," says Elsa. "Could you at least try again to reason with him?"

Kristian sighs and says, "I will try to do something, but promise me you will do whatever you can to protect yourself."

"That I will promise," replies Elsa.

Kristian turns away from Elsa and reaches into the satchel that he has been carrying. He pulls out a whistle and blows on it. The whistle lets out a loud tweet.

"What is the whistle for?" asks Olaf.

"I'm calling for Mattias," replies Kristian.

"Who is Mattias?" asks Elsa.

"Oh you are going to love him Elsa," chirps Olaf. "He is Kristian's best friend, besides me of course."

Just then a light is seen coming towards them over the snow. It is Mattias responding to Kristian's whistle. "What is that?" asks a concerned Anna. "Is that another fireball?"

Everyone looks in the direction of the light. Then Kristian holds up his arm for the firebird to land on, and Olaf says, "That's Mattias!" "Hello Mattias!" shouts Olaf as he waves a hello to the arriving bird.

Mattias comes swooping in; but instead of landing on Kristian's arm, Mattias flies low over the heads of everyone. Both Elsa and Anna flinch a little, while Kristian and Olaf aren't bothered by the low flying bird. "What are you doing you crazy bird?" says Kristian in disapproval.

Mattias comes back around but instead of going to Kristian he heads for Olaf and his waving arm. As the bird nears, Olaf turns his head away with his arm outstretched as if to try and block the incoming bird. When Olaf looks back he sees Mattias perching on his stick arm. Olaf then lets out a slight yelp as his arm starts to burn.

"Mattias! Flame down!" shouts Kristian.

As Mattias flames down he hops over onto the other stick arm of Olaf. Olaf then shakes the arm that caught fire out. Then he turns to Mattias and says with a smile, "I like friendly greetings but yours are a little too warm for me."

Elsa takes a few steps towards the firebird and says, "So this is Mattias."

"Yep!" replies Olaf. "I told you Kristian had a really cool fire. All you have to feed him is a few pieces of wood and he will be happy."

Elsa kneels down next to Olaf and says, "Hello Mattias." Mattias lets out a squawk in reply and then jumps over to Elsa. Elsa is surprised by this action and pulls back a bit. Also Elsa lifts her forearm up in an instinctive defensive move, but Mattias still lands on Elsa's raised arm. Elsa quickly recovers from the shock and takes a close look at the firebird. Then carefully Elsa reaches up with her free hand and pets the bird on its head and down its back. Mattias responds favorably to Elsa's affections.

Elsa stands up and turns back towards Kristian with Mattias on her arm. "So was it Mattias that got you so nervous when we showed up at your campsite yesterday?" asks Elsa.

"I really didn't want my secrets known, and I don't exactly have a lot of control over what Mattias does," replies Kristian.

"So where was he when Olaf and I showed up?" asks Elsa.

"I was feeding him," chirps Olaf. "He was Kristian's campfire."

Kristian holds his arm up for Mattias to jump on and Mattias obligingly does. "Mattias prefers to rest in the hot embers of a campfire," says Kristian. Then Kristian turns his attention to Mattias and says, "We've got a trip to go on Mattias."

Mattias squawks in reply. Then Kristian raises a free hand over the top of the firebird, and he begins to direct his energy into Mattias. Mattias begins to grow, and he flaps his wings. Mattias comes off of Kristian's arm and Kristian is now using both hands to direct energy into the firebird. Mattias lands on the ground and his size quickly increases. Elsa and Olaf back away as the firebird becomes bigger, and everyone watches in amazement as Mattias grows in size. Soon Mattias is standing tall over Kristian.

Kristian then finally stops putting his energy into the firebird. Once Kristian stops, Mattias flaps his wings and warm air is felt coming from the breeze of his wings. Then Mattias lets out a loud screech and bends down low. Kristian then climbs onto the shoulders of Mattias, and Mattias stands up lifting Kristian off of the ground.

"Now that is what I would call a hot ride," says Olaf in amazement.

Mattias turns so Kristian can face Elsa, Anna, and Olaf. Then Kristian says, "I don't expect to have much success with Goran. So please take precautions. Besides your magic Elsa, water will be your best defense." Kristian then turns his attention to Mattias and says, "Let's go Mattias."

Mattias bends down and spreads his wings. Then with a strong flap and a jump into the air, Mattias takes flight. He soars away carrying Kristian up into the mountains.

On the ground, Elsa and Anna watch the firebird fly away. "I can't believe what I am seeing," says Anna.

"It is a shock, but it is also wonderful," replies Elsa as she watches Mattias vanish into the hills of the countryside.

"Wonderful?" asks Anna as she turns to look at Elsa. "Why is it wonderful? You did hear him talk about the dangers from Goran. Not to mention the risk Kristian takes not only to face him but the risk he takes to spend time with you. Your powers are not exactly compatible."

Elsa looks over to her sister and smiles. Then she says, "It is wonderful because I have come across someone who knows what is like to be unique, and the risk that Kristian is taking is not for him but it is for me."

"Kristian is your own knight in flaming armor. Riding his feathered steed," says Olaf.

"Yes; and the danger he says exist between our magic powers, I think is tiny. There is almost a connection between us when we touch. I wonder if he senses it too," says Elsa.

"Well he certainly senses something," says Anna with a smile. "To take the risks that he does, Kristian has to be feeling something for you."

"I do hope you are right," replies Elsa with a smile.


	17. Chapter 17

Among the hills, Mattias is swooping over the tops of the trees. As Mattias follows the contours of the ground, he carries his passenger, Kristian. In no time, Mattias reaches the mountains and begins to fly upwards. Small streaks of flame can be seen trailing the firebird and each flap of his wings creates thin swirls of flame off of his wing tips.

It takes only a few minutes of flight up the side of the mountain for Mattias and Kristian to reach the location of where the avalanche had started. Mattias then circles the area, while Kristian looks for signs of where Goran might be. After expanding the search radius, Kristian finally sees a glow of light coming from a cave in the side of a cliff. It is the cave that Goran had created earlier for his shelter.

"Down there!" says Kristian as he points to the location of the cave. Mattias turns sharply and dives down towards the ground. As the firebird nears the ground, he pulls up flapping his wings. Flames can be seen coming off of his wings as Mattias lands and some of the small debris on the ground ignites. Once on the ground, Mattias bends down and Kristian slides off of the firebird's back. Now Kristian looks over to the cave that has a fire glow coming from its interior and then looks back at Mattias.

"Take it easy Mattias. I'm just going to talk with Goran, but be ready to leave at a moment's notice," says Kristian. "I might need to leave in a hurry."

Kristian then leaves Mattias and heads towards the mouth of the cave. Once there, Kristian takes his time to enter. Kristian is trying to assess the situation before entering. Kristian doesn't want to have Goran get the better of him like he did back at his campsite. Finally Kristian enters, not as a coward but pulled up and ready to face an unforgiving Goran.

The mouth of the cave quickly opens up to a room of decent size. Goran had spent some time to turn the original rough cave into a modest clean room. The walls, floor, and ceiling have been refined and the floor had been cleared of loose debris. In the middle of the room is a pile of rocks. The rocks have flames flaring up from them and the pile is being treated like a campfire. It projects light into the room and provides warmth, though neither of these two men needs the fire for warmth. On one side of the room sits a smooth stone slab with Goran's sleeping blanket placed on it. This slab is being treated as Goran's bed. Off to the side of the stone fire sits another stone slab on stone legs. It is acting like a table. A large stone chair sits at one end of the table and a simple cylindrical stone sits at the other end acting like a stool.

Goran sits in the stone chair eating a bird that he had caught earlier. He is also drinking out of a stone goblet. Once Kristian enters the cave, he sees Goran and quickly checks out the rest of the cave. Goran almost immediately sees Kristian standing near the mouth of the cave.

"You've got some nerve to show your face up here," says Goran as he picks up his stone goblet.

"It hardly takes any to come here to talk," replies Kristian warily as he walks over to the stone table.

"Good to hear you say that," says Goran coldly as he takes a drink from his goblet. "Fear is not a thing people like us can afford." After looking Kristian over, Goran asks, "So what brings a traitor back to his king?"

"Go ahead and call me a traitor if you want, but you are hardly a king," replies Kristian.

"I am lord over everything that I survey, including you," gruffly says Goran.

"So you are king of a comfortable cave; and as for me, the only control that you have is that which I have allowed," replies Kristian.

Goran's hands flare up as he becomes angry from this slight of Kristian's. "You better watch what you say Kristian. You are already on my bad side. Go any further with your comments and you will regret it," angrily says Goran.

"You are in a foul mood," says Kristian as he sits himself down at the table.

"Of course I am," growls Goran. "You were down there betraying me to that freak of nature. Because of you, I had to set the avalanche off early and I still had to follow it up with a barrage of fireballs to accomplish anything."

"Well you accomplished it. The queen was buried in the avalanche," says Kristian. "It may not have been how you planned it, but you still took out your foe. Our mission is done here."

"It is not done. She is still alive. I can sense it," replies Goran.

"How can you sense that?" asks a shocked Kristian. "Did you witness something down in the village?"

"There is no need to see anything to know that she is still alive," replies Goran. "When such a creature dies, there is a release of magical energy. Normally it would be dispersed into the environment but because we are here, some of that magic would enter us if we allow it. It is a natural reaction to their magic over ice and our magic over fire. Even from this far away some of that magic would enter me."

"You serious?" questions Kristian. "Even after you take out one of these beings you still will get injured by their magic."

"I never said that the magic causes injury," replies Goran. "Yes, it causes discomfort; but that magical energy will allow our powers to grow."

"My powers continue to increase just fine on their own," says Kristian distasteful of the idea Goran has just presented. "I don't need any outside help."

"You're young and naive," says Goran in a belittling tone. "At some point your powers will not be able to increase without causing injury to yourself. For creatures like us, our hearts will flame and turn us into stone. For the witch down in that village, hers will freeze and will turn her into ice."

"I won't need to go beyond my own abilities. I won't have a need for it," replies Kristian still distasteful of the whole thing.

"Of course you will," insists Goran coldly. "Power is the only thing that matters. It is the only thing that people respect. I willing accepted this curse that I have for that particular reason, power. Yet the magic that I was given was not enough. I could not stop an entire army or create one of my own. So I worked hard on increasing my power, but could only go so far. That is when I started seeking out these creatures of ice. Their magic over the cold helps to counter my power over fire. Their magic will keep my heart from turning into stone."

"You don't want people to respect you. You want them to fear you," states Kristian. "And I don't want any part of that. To live in peace is all that I want, and I was doing that just fine on our mountain top."

"You forget what happened to your mother. It was because of you that she died. They came once and others will come as well. You can never escape what you are Kristian. You have to fight to survive and you can survive best under my leadership," says Goran cruelly.

Kristian becomes upset with Goran's comments and Kristian's hands flare up. So Kristian stands up and places his hands on the stone table. The fire spreads out over a small area on top of the table. "Don't you dare bring my mother into this!" exclaims Kristian. "You may have taught me how to survive Goran, but you are not the only one who knows how to live! Power is not the only way and I won't participate in your efforts in obtaining more! Just leave this place with me Goran and forget about the Queen of Arendelle!"

Goran stands up now and slaps his own hands against the stone table. Goran's hands are blazing strongly and the fire sweeps up at both edges of the table a few feet. "You think you can live in peace with this witch!" exclaims Goran. "She will only be using you to increase her own powers! You are nothing but a means to an end for her!"

"Power is not what she needs Goran! She has all the power that she desires!" exclaims Kristian. "What she needs is something you cannot comprehend. It is something that you have never sought, but you are right about one thing. She does see me as a means to an end. The thing is I am actually considering allowing her to have it."

Goran roars as he lifts his hands up into the air. The fire that is coming from his hands, leap high and hit the ceiling. As it hits the ceiling, the fire spreads across the room. Goran then redirects that fire back down through his body and out through his hands at Kristian. Kristian has been expecting this and creates a redirecting fire. This causes Goran's fire to glance off and strike a wall in the room.

"You dare to side with this witch over me!" shouts Goran as he holds both palms upright. From his palms flames shoot up towards the ceiling.

"Only on this one point," replies Kristian. "Just leave Arendelle!"

"I will once I have finished my task!" states Goran.

"How do you expect to do that?" replies Kristian semi-sarcastically. Kristian stands with his palms directed towards Goran. The flames, from Kristian's hands, seem to come off the top of his curved fingers. "Elsa knows that you are coming and I'm not going to make it easy for you either."

"You don't have my level of power!" exclaims Goran as he releases a barrage of small hissing fireballs at Kristian.

In response, Kristian creates a horizontal spiraling funnel of flame as he falls onto his back. Goran's hissing fireballs try to curve down towards Kristian but the funnel keeps the fireballs from curving and striking Kristian. Instead the fireballs strike the wall at the opposite side of the room. These fireballs embed themselves into the wall where they still glow red. Then Kristian quickly rolls over and crouches on the floor. From this position, Kristian spreads his fire across the floor towards Goran. The fire moves quickly under the stone table, and then the fire erupts upward around Goran. This eruption of fire causes Goran to fall backwards into his stone chair.

"I don't need your level of power to be a pest," says Kristian as he stands up to look at Goran. "So do you still think, that you have the power to take both the Queen of Arendelle and me on at the same time?"

Goran pushes himself partly off his stone chair. His palms still blaze and one hand rests on the center of the backrest of the chair. With his hand on the back of the chair, Goran focuses his powers through this hand and blasts the back off of the stone chair off. He then stands up and moves over to stand behind the pile of flaming rocks.

"I have more than enough power to take the both of you on," snarls Goran. "But I won't have too."

Now Goran spreads his arms out to his side. From his hands, fire shoots out towards the sidewalls. The flames strike the walls and are redirected back towards Kristian. In response, Kristian extends his own hands and a flaming disc forms around each hand. Goran's fire strikes these discs with little effect.

"You're off your game Goran," says Kristian. "Give up your mission and we both can leave for home. Forget this senseless mission of yours."

Goran drops his arms down and smiles. "I'm not off my game. I'm at my peak!" gloats Goran.

When Goran's flame had struck the sidewalls, some of its energy went into the walls. That energy traveled through the walls and energized the fireballs that were embedded. Now Goran lifts an arm up and makes a come hither motion. Kristian is puzzled by this act, but the next thing that Kristian knows is that he is being struck in the back. The fireballs have come out of the wall and have flown into Kristian at Goran's command. The fireballs hit Kristian hard and he is sent sprawling across the room.

Now Goran walks towards the mouth of the cave as Kristian scrambles to get to his feet. Once there, Goran turns around and faces Kristian. "Your witch friend will never see you again," says Goran. "She will pay with her life for turning you against me."

Now Kristian begins to run towards Goran. He yells as he moves and his hands flare up strongly. Kristian begins to raise a hand to strike; but before he can complete the move, Goran acts. Goran lifts his hands up to his chest, and he then makes a quick motion outwards with his arms. The fire stones in the middle of the room erupt in flame and totally split the room in half with fire. The fire creates a blast of air that pushes against Kristian. Kristian has to brace himself against this force of air. Now Goran turns away from Kristian and begins to walk out of the cave. Kristian meanwhile moves against the rushing air. Finally Kristian makes it to the firewall and steps through it. Once through Kristian inhales and exhales strongly because of the effort, but then he moves quickly to the entrance of the cave.

Goran is outside the cave by the time that Kristian makes it through the fire. Once outside, Goran turns around and faces the cave entrance. He waves his hands around; and Goran's magic, in its purest form, enters the small rock debris that surrounds the entrance. This debris begins to float in the air and come together to form a loose set of bars. Then this debris solidifies together to become solid. The cave entrance is now block by a set of solid bars formed by Goran's own magic. Kristian nears the bars as they solidify and fires a fireball at them, but they do not break.

"It's useless Kristian!" states Goran. "These bars and all the surfaces of that room are filled with my magic. Added fire will only make them stronger. Only if the fire magic is extinguished will they fall apart, and I don't think you have enough water in there to accomplish that."

Kristian grabs a hold of the bars and his hands flare up. "Goran stop this!" exclaims Kristian. "This isn't necessary!"

"It is all necessary," replies Goran. "This witch and her army are a threat to my future rule, and with her death you will have no choice but to follow me. You will be a wanted man and no place will be safe for you to go."

Goran turns and begins to walk away. "Goran! GORAN!" shouts Kristian as he reaches an arm trough the bars.

Just then a flash of flame comes down out of the sky and strikes Goran before going back up into the air. Goran tumbles to the ground, and as he struggles to get back to his feet. Meanwhile, Kristian looks up into the sky. What Kristian sees is Mattias. Mattias has come to help his master and friend. Now Mattias takes a broad swoop through the air before coming back down onto Goran. Goran just manages to get onto his feet when Mattias strikes him again. Goran lands hard onto his back but he manages to roll. Goran is on the ground but his hands are covered in fire.

"Mattias! No, get out of here!" shouts Kristian as he tries to wave off the firebird. "Go warn Elsa!"

Mattias looks down at Kristian and then the firebird begins to fly away. However, Goran manages to get to his knees and release a fireball in the direction of Mattias. The fireball races into the sky and just barely clips the firebird. Mattias tumbles through the sky from the strike; but as he nears the ground, the firebird regains control. At the same time, Goran has gotten to his feet. Mattias starts to fly away again when Goran releases another fire strike. This time Goran's aim is dead center. Mattias screeches in pain as the fire rips right through the firebird tearing him apart. Most of the bird's fire is extinguished and only a few remnants of flame float down to the ground where some small debris catches fire.

"MATTIAS!" shouts Kristian from behind the bars. His entire torso flares up and Kristian then begins to try and break through the bars with his shoulder. After a few tries, Kristian ends up leaning against the bars with his last attempt; and then he slides down the bars. Kristian ends up sitting on the ground with his head leaning against the bars. His fire recedes to his hands and Kristian's arms cross his body. His palms face up and the fingers are curled. Small flames emerge from his cupped hands as Kristian sits in a slumped position and cries.

"Pathetic," says Goran in disgust. "There is no room for such weak emotions in our life. The only thing that matters is strength and dominance. You better toughen up Kristian for this ice witch of Arendelle is going to meet the same fate as your idiot pet."

Goran turns away and using his magic powers creates a large wolf made of fire. The beast roars as it comes to life. Now Goran grabs a hold of the fur on the back of its neck and swings himself up onto the fire wolf's back. After settling onto the wolf's back, Goran looks back at Kristian and says, "I am the only ally you are ever going to have, remember that." The wolf then heads down the mountain to Arendelle at a run with Goran on his back. As Goran leaves, Kristian lets out a cry of despair and fire covers his entire body. Then the fire erupts outward and fills the entire cave, and flames can be seen exiting through the bars that cover the mouth of the cave.

* * *

><p>Down in Arendelle, Elsa and Anna have been going to the sites of where the people are working to restore and clean up Arendelle. Happy greetings are given to both sisters as the villagers are glad to see that the queen is alright. Elsa even helps some by creating ice chutes to carry the snow away quickly.<p>

"I'm so proud of all of you, and Arendelle is blessed to have everyone that is here," says Elsa as she addresses a large group of people. "In time, with your help, Arendelle will return to the way it once was. It is also my hope that a certain individual will return to aid us in our time of need. He has already accomplished much here in Arendelle for us all, but he is now off on a mission that directly concerns me personally. For now I will show you what he has done for Arendelle."

Elsa steps over to the side of the road and raises her hands. Then Elsa waves her hands around and a cold wind blows from them. This wind begins to pick up the snow in front of her and lifts it into the sky. The snow is then carried away by the wind. After some time, a canyon is cut through the snow. It continues to remove the snow until the area of the village that Kristian had been working in has been connected to the main road. People then walk through Elsa's snow covered canyon and enter the snow free area of Kristian's work. Everyone is amazed to see so many of the homes free of the snow. They had been working for a few hours and have only cleared part of the main road. Here, in the residential part of town, several times more material had been cleared and not a spec of snow can be seen on anything.

Anna enters this area of the village alongside Kristoff, and she is smiling as she sees Kristoff's expression of amazement. "So who manage to do all this?" asks Kristoff as he looks around.

"It was Kristian," replies Anna with a smile.

"Kristian?" asks a puzzled Kristoff as he turns to look at Anna.

"Do you remember Kristian saying that he has a knack with handling snow?" says Anna. "Well this is what he can do when he isn't worried about being watched."

"Kristian did all this by himself?" exclaims Kristoff. "So where has he gone, and what is he up too?"

"He has gone to dissuade his friend from continuing on his mission," replies Elsa as she approaches Kristoff and Anna.

"You're talking about the job that the Duke of Weselton hired them to do, right?" asks Kristoff.

"Yes, and apparently the danger isn't over," replies Anna with some concern.

"So how much danger are we talking about?" asks Kristoff. "I would have thought the avalanche would be the worst thing that could have been done."

"I'm hoping that Kristian will be successful, but the risk is very high if he doesn't succeed," replies Elsa.

"What Kristian did here is apparently what Goran can do as well," adds Anna as she gestures to the snow free houses. "If Kristian was able to do this, think of what someone with his abilities would be able to do against Elsa's magic."

"Elsa, you should be back at the palace then," says Kristoff as he looks over to Elsa. "At least there the walls can give you some protection."

"How can I leave to the safety of the palace when Arendelle needs my assistance," replies Elsa. "There is so much snow and with my magic I could help make things easier for everyone."

"We are all grateful for the help you have given us already," says Kristoff. "But there isn't a person here that wouldn't want you to be safe. You are our queen, and you are also my friend. Your subjects can take care of the snow for now. You just take care of yourself."

Elsa does not feel comfortable leaving her village like this. "I don't know. There is so much work to do. Even with my help it would take a couple of days to clean up everything. It is not like I can make this snow vanish in an instant," says Elsa.

"It would take even longer if we lost you," replies Anna. "Elsa, it would be best if we head back to the palace and inform the guards. Besides, the palace is still going through preparations to house all the villagers whose homes are still buried in the snow. So your presence is also needed there."

Elsa finally relents to Kristoff's and Anna's persuasion. "Very well, since there are things that need to be done at the palace; I might as well head back and see to the comfort of everyone," says Elsa.

"Elsa waves good bye to Kristoff and Anna moves up to him and gives Kristoff a kiss. "See you tonight then?" asks Anna.

"Yes, but it will be late. There is a lot of work to do yet," replies Kristoff. Kristoff then looks away from Anna and shouts out to Elsa. "Don't worry Elsa! The main road should be cleared by tonight! I will work to make that happen!

Elsa turns around and replies, "Thank you Kristoff. Anna, are you coming?"

"Be right with you!" says Anna to her sister. Then Anna turns back to Kristoff and says, "See you tonight." "I'll have a meal ready for you when you show up!" says Anna as she raises her had to wave good bye and hurries after Elsa.

The sisters walk down the road quietly for some time before Anna speaks. "I was just thinking, and I was wondering what you were going to decide to do about Kristian?"

Elsa looks over to her sister and asks, "What do you mean? I really have not thought about doing anything concerning Kristian."

"You must have been thinking about something," replies Anna. "I noticed that you didn't mention Kristian's magic to anyone. So I figured you had something in mind. I decided to keep quiet about him as well out of respect for you."

"It was really nothing Anna," says Elsa as the sisters continue to walk back to the palace. "Since we met him, Kristian has been having a difficult time."

"Well it does serve him right for plotting against you," interrupts Anna. "We were just lucky that he had a conscious."

"OK, I'll allow you that one point," concedes Elsa. "His conscious was troubling him, but what I was thinking about was Kristian's abilities. I've gone through much of what he is experiencing. Some of which I still have trouble with."

"You're feeling empathetic towards Kristian," replies Anna. "You want to make his situation better if you can."

"In a way, yes," replies Elsa. "Kristian is concerned about living in peace, and he is afraid of others finding out about his powers. I wish to honor Kristian's desire in keeping his secret, but I also want others to know of the help he has already provided.

"So that is why you showed everyone his handy work," says Anna.

"Yes, I wanted to give people a hint of what Kristian was. That way, it would be less of a shock for the people of Arendelle when they find out about him. If everyone would be more accepting, I thought that I could ease Kristian into opening up with others. Then maybe he would be more accepting of my offers to stay a while in Arendelle."

"You always have put others before yourself," says Anna with a smile.

"I'll admit, it is a flaw that I have," replies a smiling Elsa.

"I wouldn't call it a flaw, but at least this time you are taking some of your own wants and desires into this decision," says Anna cheekily.

"Anna!" exclaims Elsa in surprise and embarrassment.

Anna begins to laugh and in a moment Elsa joins her sister in laughter.


	18. Chapter 18

On the mountain side, if people would look, a light can be seen coming down the mountain. It is Goran, riding a fire wolf that he has created with his own magic powers. The beast leaps through the countryside at a fast pace. Whenever the fire wolf steps into a spot of snow or water, steam is released from the rapid evaporation. It takes some time for Goran to get down the mountain, but before long he is near Arendelle and the snow from his avalanche.

Once Goran reaches the avalanche, he stops his mount and climbs down. Goran stands and looks at the snow that now blocks his way. Goran then raises a hand out in front of him and generates a fireball. He thrusts the fireball forward into the snow of the avalanche. This fireball rapidly moves forward with a roar of flame and a loud hiss as it melts its way through the snow. In mere seconds, it has cut a path through the snow. The fireball then emerges right in front of a number of workers, who were clearing the snow. These workers are shocked to see the flames emerging from the snow. Many of these men run as the fire spreads out as it is no longer contained by the walls of the snow. Shortly, the fireball dissipates into the air, but not before it catches some of the buildings on fire.

The workers attention is now turned towards the burning buildings. They rush to put the fires out. These workers become so busy with the fires that very few pay any attention to Goran as he quickly walks through their midst. Goran walks quickly with determination. Since Goran's thoughts are focused on his mission, the destruction of the Queen of Arendelle.

Meanwhile, Elsa and Anna have been walking back to the palace. They have just reached the village square when Goran made his way through the avalanche.

"Did you hear something" asks Anna as she stops at the edge of the square. Anna had heard Goran's fire emerge from the snow, but the sound was muffled by the buildings.

"No, but my thoughts were elsewhere," replies Elsa. "Why? What did you think you heard?"

"I'm not sure. The sound was faint, but it didn't sound good," says Anna as she looks back from which they came.

"Then we should go investigate to make sure that no one is having difficulties," says Elsa as she begins to walk back towards the village.

"Just wait," says Anna as Elsa passes her. Elsa stops and looks over to Anna. "It was probably nothing, Elsa. If there is a problem someone from the village will come to see us. Besides, Kristian's friend is still out there. Who knows when we will be running into him? It would be better if you secured yourself in the palace, at least for the time being anyway."

"That is not something I am looking forward to doing," replies Elsa. "I've done that for most of my life. I'd much rather be out among my people. Besides, it could take some time before we have to really be worried about Goran."

"You can't say that for sure Elsa," says a concerned Anna. "And I wasn't talking about isolating yourself either. You can still spend time with those that you trust, and you still can visit with the people out in Arendelle. You just need to bring the palace guards with you for protection."

"It still sounds rather confining," replies Elsa. "Instead of doors and walls between me and others, there are going to be people between us."

"I know it is not the best of circumstances, but neither is a shorten life," says Anna. "If we are fortunate, Kristian will be able to bring us some good news late tonight. Then this can all be over by tomorrow."

"I hope we are fortunate," replies Elsa as she walks over to look out at the docks and ships. "Arendelle has suffered enough because of me."

Anna walks up behind her sister and says, "It's not fair to be blaming yourself. It is not because of you that this has happened to Arendelle. It is the Duke of Weselton's fault."

Elsa looks back at her sister and smiles. "Have I ever told you that I am glad that you are my sister," inquires Elsa.

"Yes you have," replies Anna with a smile. "But keep on telling me. I enjoy it every time that you say it."

Elsa continues to smile at her sister and then her smile fades. Elsa looks up into the mountains and then says, "I wonder how Kristian is managing."

Anna turns and looks up as well and says, "I'm sure he will be OK, Elsa. Goran is supposed to be like family to him, and a true family will love one another no matter what happens."

Elsa looks over to her sister and says, "A true family loves one another unconditionally, but I am concerned that Goran is not a true family man. What Kristian has said about him makes Goran sound like an uncaring sort, not like the way our father was with us."

"I can't give you an answer on that," says Anna. "I haven't talk to Kristian about Goran nor have I actually met the man himself. However if Kristian still is willing to talk with Goran, he can't be that dangerous to Kristian."

"Perhaps not, but then how dangerous can a fire actually be to Kristian," replies Elsa. "Just look at me. I am not bothered by the cold, so Kristian could just as easily not be bothered by fire."

"Maybe I will give you that point, but if I do then you will have to admit that Kristian isn't in any real danger," says Anna. "Kristian's magic will protect him against Goran."

"You're right. Kristian will be safe," replies Elsa.

"Good. So can we head into the palace now?" asks Anna. "The whole place needs to be organized. We still have to house many members of the village for the night, and don't forget about all the food that has to be prepared for the workers."

"Yes, the people of Arendelle do need to be taken care of," says Elsa. "That is my main duty as their queen after all, the care and protection of everyone in my kingdom." Elsa then begins to move towards the palace to help in preparations for the evening.

Anna begins to follow her sister Elsa across the village square, but before the sisters can get to the palace bridge they hear a voice call out. "Queen of Arendelle, I demand your attention!"

Elsa and Anna turn around to see who it was that called out. What they see is a strange man walking towards them with determination. This man is Goran, and he approaches Anna and Elsa with his fists clenched.

"You do have my attention, sir," replies Elsa. "You seem unfamiliar to me. Are you a recent visitor to Arendelle?"

"Very recent, but I am here now because I have a complaint," harshly says Goran as he walks up to one side of Elsa. He stands facing the harbor and Elsa has her back to the water as she faces this strange man.

"What is the circumstance that troubles you? There isn't much that I can do at the moment because of the avalanche; but if possible, I will do what I can," replies Elsa as she watches this man closely. Elsa is wary, but strangers are a common occurrence in the village.

My complaint is about you being the leader of this backwater village," growls Goran. "A freak like you should not be the leader of any place."

"That's an unfair accusation!" counters Anna. "Elsa has every right to be queen and the avalanche was not part of her doing! She actually stopped the avalanche from doing any serious damage! Elsa has done more for Arendelle than any ruler could hope to do for their own kingdom!

"My problem with the queen has to do with the threat she is to me!" snaps Goran. "Her magic alone is dangerous! With an army standing behind her she is even more so!"

Fear enters Elsa mind as she releases who this strange man is "Goran," quietly says Elsa as she takes a step back. "You don't have to go through with this," says Elsa as she addresses Goran. "I am very willing to let you live in peace and I will even allow you and Kristian to live her in my kingdom. Whatever problems that may plague you Goran, I can provide you protection."

"So Kristian did betray me," snarls Goran. "Did he also betray me by telling you about this," says Goran as he flares up a hand and throws a fireball at Elsa.

Anna jumps off to the side as Elsa's own hands come alive with swirling snow. Elsa counters Goran fireball with a snowball of her own. As the two balls meet, they erupt into a cloud of steam. The balls meet close to Elsa and the force of their collision causes Elsa to take a few steps backwards.

"Kristian didn't want to tell me, but I found out anyway," replies Elsa. "There is no need for this Goran! Kristian doesn't want this to happen! If you truly love Kristian, you will stop this!"

"Love has nothing to do with my relationship with Kristian," says Goran as he lifts both hands into the air. Goran's magic ignites in his palms and the fires grow large. Elsa activates her magic as well. Snow swirls around Elsa's outstretched hand and a light wisp swirls around her as well. "He is nothing but a tool to me, a means to an end. Just like your demise will be," says Goran as he thrusts forward.

A long stream of flame is emitted from Goran's hands. It heads quickly towards Elsa. In return, Elsa responds by creating a large ice spike that grows from the ground. The spike diverts most of the flame off to the side, but the spike melts from the heat. Goran had increased his fire, and eventually the fire bursts through the ice spike and hits Elsa hard.

"Elsa!" cries out Anna as she watches Elsa get hit.

The force of the strike sends Elsa flying backwards into the air several yards. Elsa ends up flying out to the harbor. As she comes down onto the water, Elsa manages to freeze the surface of the water. When she lands, Elsa slides across the ice several more yards.

Back on the village square, Anna begins to move quickly to go help Elsa. As she moves towards the harbor, Anna glances over to Goran. What she sees is Goran forming another fireball, but this time it is not Elsa he is looking at. It is Anna. Goran releases the fireball at Anna, and Anna goes diving against the ground as the fireball strikes behind her. Anna then scrambles to her feet and runs off towards the palace. As she runs, Anna looks back to see what Goran is doing. What Anna sees is that Goran is no longer interested in her. Instead Goran is heading towards the harbor.

Goran is now focused On Elsa. Anna was merely an annoyance. Someone that could possibly cause problems if allowed to act unheeded. When Goran reaches the water's edge, he jumps onto the ice. A hiss is heard as his hot hand touches the ice causing it to melt. As Goran stands up, he raises his hands out from his sides. Fire leaps from his hands and right at his back a wall of fire begins to form. As Goran begins to walk towards Elsa, the fire wall starts to spread around the outside of the harbor.

Elsa has now recovered from the shock of Goran's attack, and she is scrambling to her feet. As she gets to her feet, Elsa watches in fear as the fire wall continues to encircle the entire harbor. Once the wall is complete, Elsa turns her attention to Goran who is coming towards her.

"It is distasteful to me to see that you are still alive!" shouts Goran as he is still some distance away. "Still I would be disappointed if our battle was over so easily!"

"What have you done with Kristian?" exclaims Elsa. "He wouldn't have just left and ignored this! He wouldn't have forgotten me!"

"Kristian is too valuable to me too harm; and you were going to take him away from me, just like his mother was!" exclaims Goran. "He just needs to be taught a lesson and you are going to be that lesson and his punishment!"

Goran then raises a hand way above his head and shoots a fireball high into the air, where it then bursts apart. After the bursting fireball, a dreadful howl is heard off in the distance by everyone in the village. The howl comes from Goran's fire wolf. The wolf had been left outside the village by Goran. Once the fire wolf saw Goran's signal, it headed off towards the direction the signal came from.

Meanwhile, Kristoff and the other men had just finished extinguishing the fires that were caused by Goran's fire. Once the fire was out, the men heard the warning trumpets sound. This causes Kristoff to turn and look towards the palace. Then he says, "There is something wrong at the palace."

Just then Goran's fire wolf emerges from the pathway through the avalanche. It scares everyone as it stops for a moment and growls before it continues on its way. Kristoff pulls back in fear as he looks at this wolf. When the wolf takes off again, Kristoff steps forward and says, "Elsa. Anna!" Then Kristoff hurries over to Sven and his cart and jumps on. "Come on! Let's go Sven!" says Kristoff as he grabs a hold of the reins. Sven then takes off at a quick gallop towards the palace.

Elsa was terrified when she heard the sound of the howl. However, Anna had alerted the palace guards and men were streaming out of the palace when the trumpets sounded. Now Goran turns towards the palace and growls as he sees men up on the wall. In response, Goran raises his hands up and the firewall against the palace grows taller than the stone walls stand.

Elsa is still fearful, but her emotions ease as she now knows that others are trying to aid her in her time of distress. "Kristian said that his mother died from a man coming to your home on the mountain. He said this man killed his mother. Was this all a lie?" says Elsa as she partly wants to distract Goran, but she also wants to learn what she can about Goran and Kristian.

"He told you about his mother, did he," says Goran. "He hasn't talked about her to anyone. Though he doesn't have the chance. What Kristian told you, is what he believes has happened. That, however, is just what I told Kristian to manipulate him. The man that came to the mountain was actually Kristian's father."

"His father!" exclaims Elsa. "His father came to destroy him?"

"Kristian's father came to take Kristian and his mother back with him. I disposed of both of his parents to stop it," says an indignant Goran. "The fool actual renounced his royal inheritance in order to bring back Kristian."

"Royal inheritance?" questions a scared Elsa. "You mean Kristian is actually royalty, a…a prince?"

"Was! He is not anymore. By renouncing his title, Kristian's father removed all chances Kristian had to claim his birth right," says Goran. "Kristian is nothing now! He is lower than a common bar wench!"

Elsa was going to respond, but before she can say anything the fire wolf that Goran had created had jumped onto the ice. A little steam comes from under the beast's paws as some of the ice melts. "Ah, now I hope you enjoyed your little fact finding; because you will never be able to use it now," boasts Goran as he turns and sends his energy into the wolf to make it grow larger. As the wolf grows it howls and soon it towers over Goran.

"Your end is finally here!" exclaims Goran as he aggressively points in the direction of Elsa. In response, the fire wolf leaps forward in Elsa direction at Goran's command.

Elsa responds by creating a creature of her own, a giant snowman that she had created in the past. Olaf had given this creature the name Marshmallow. Marshmallow now stands in front of Elsa and lets out a roar. He steps forward and meets the charging fire wolf. The wolf leaps at the giant snowman and clamps its jaws around the upper arm of Marshmallow. Marshmallow is pushed backwards by the force of the wolf and the wolf's jaws completely cut off Marshmallow's arm. Marshmallow roars in pain, but he manages to spin around with the wolf as he falls backwards and slams the wolf down onto the ice. The fire wolf cries out in pain as it hits the ice in a cloud of steam. However, the wolf manages to turn and bit the leg of Marshmallow. Marshmallow cries out as his leg partly melts. The giant snowman then releases the wolf and the wolf jumps free.

The wolf is smaller now and its fire is flickering intermittently. These two creatures, one of fire the other of ice, stand and face each other. The wolf then howls and the snowman roars as they once again charge each other. The wolf leaps right at Marshmallow. However Marshmallow, instead of leaning into the wolf, pivots on his misshapen leg and knees the wolf with his good leg. The ice spikes on his knee penetrate deeply into the wolf as the wolf howls in pain. Then using the full weight of his body, Marshmallow falls hard on top of the wolf and drives the beast into the ice. A massive cloud of steam erupts from the ice totally hiding the two combatants. When the steam lifts all that can be seen is Marshmallow kneeling in a depression in the ice. The fire wolf had been extinguished.

Now Marshmallow stands up and faces Goran. The snowman roars at the man in front of him and begins to charge. Goran is furious. His great wolf had been destroyed and it hadn't even touched Elsa. Goran cries out in anger as his hands ignite. He thrusts his hands upward and outward from his body. From his hands, two arching flames emerge. The flames sweep up into the air and come down on top of Marshmallow with great energy. Marshmallow roars in pain as the flames hit him, but in an instant the snowman is vaporized and all that can be seen is the shape of Marshmallow in steam.

"You infuriate me witch!" shouts Goran as he stares at Elsa. "I will burn this whole village down if I have to, just to eliminate you from among the living!"

"What will that prove!" replies Elsa. "By now everyone in the village knows what you are! Your secret is out! In time, other villages and kingdoms will know who and what you are!"

"So be it! The notoriety that I will gain from this will work in my favor!" exclaims Goran. "Since Kristian will be tied to your destruction as well! He will be forced to continue to follow me if he wishes to survive; and with you gone, he will have no other place to go!"

Goran hands flare up and he releases a barrage of small hard fire balls at Elsa. Elsa, in turn, creates an ice wall for protection. The first balls that hit this wall are extinguished but the barrage keeps up. In mere moments, the ice wall is breeched and Elsa has to move out of the way. Elsa leaps out from behind the wall and sends a blast of cold air and snow swirling towards Goran. The swirling snow makes the barrage of fireballs fly all over the place, and when the snow reaches Goran it temporarily blinds him. Goran responds to this by flaring his entire body up with fire. This quickly dissipates the snow that surrounded him.

"You're doing all this so you can control Kristian!" exclaims Elsa.

As Goran eliminates the last bit of swirling snow, he replies, "Not just to control Kristian but to control masses! To rule, one must have power and your enemies must fear that power! My own is not enough for that kind of control! I need a general to lead an army to establish that fear! Kristian was going to be that general! However, you and your army are a threat, a threat that I intend to eliminate!" Then Goran's hands flare up again as he prepares to attack.

* * *

><p>Back on dry land near the harbor, Anna has organized a response to Goran's attack on Elsa. Men from the palace are using buckets of water to try and dowse the fire around the harbor. Meanwhile, arrows are being fired through the flames at Goran. However, the fire is so hot that the water hardly does any good; and the arrows burn up instantly. The metal arrowheads make a light clank as they fall harmlessly onto the ice on the harbor.<p>

Now Kristoff shows up at the village square on his cart. Everyone is rushing about and everything is in controlled chaos. Kristoff scans the chaos and soon sees Anna talking to a member of the palace guards. "Anna!" shouts Kristoff as he waves to Anna.

Anna looks over to Kristoff and gives a quick wave before turning back to the palace guard to say a few more words. The guard acknowledges Anna before rushing off and Anna then hurries over to Kristoff. Meanwhile, Kristoff has climbed down off of his cart and quickly works his way to Anna through the rushing people.

"Anna, are you all right? What's happening?" asks an excited Kristoff. "There was a beast of fire that scared the daylights out of everyone, and it was headed this way!"

"Kristoff, I'm fine, but it is Elsa that is in danger!" exclaims Anna. "Goran, Kristian's friend, has attacked Elsa! They are both out in the middle of the harbor!"

Kristoff looks at the harbor and sees the wall of fire surrounding it. "How in the world is that happening?" asks a surprised Kristoff as he watches the fire wall.

"Goran created it," replies Anna. "He has the power to control fire! We are doing the best that we can to battle it but we are not having much success!"

"Don't give up Anna!" says Kristoff as he tries to boost Anna's confidence. "Others will be showing up soon to help and we will find a way to help Elsa! Just tell me what to do and I will do the best that I can!"

"Right now, you can join the bucket line!" says Anna. "If we can break through that fire wall, the palace guards can go in and help defend Elsa!"

"Right away, your highness!" says Kristoff as he takes a slight bow before joining others to battle the fire.

While all this is going on in the harbor, up in the palace stands the Duke of Weselton. He had evacuated to the palace when the warning trumpets had sounded for the avalanche. Now he looks out a window at the battle that now rages down in the harbor between Elsa and Goran. The Duke's face is lit in orange by Goran's fire. "I've hired a monster," says the Duke in dread. "How will I explain this? My career will be over if the King of Weselton finds out."


	19. Chapter 19

Up on the mountain; Kristian sits on the floor in the cave that has become his prison. As he sits, Kristian's back is against the wall near the mouth of the cave. Kristian's head is against the wall as well and his arms hang down his sides. The palms of his hands face upward as they rest on the floor, and flames flicker out of his palms as Kristian sits motionless.

Emotionally, Kristian is in agony. Kristian had come up here to try and help Elsa, and he has failed. Kristian has even lost his favorite companion, Mattias. With all the magic powers over fire that Kristian has, there is nothing that he can do. Now all he can do is think. Kristian's mind goes over everything that has happened in Arendelle. Kristian remembers the fear he had when he first met Elsa. Then Kristian remembers how in awe he was of her life. Kristian also remembers the fun that he had when he didn't care about why he was here in Arendelle.

Now Kristian's mind turns to Goran. Kristian recalls the insistence of completing the mission by Goran when they first arrived in the area. Kristian also recalls his failures to try and turn Goran away from this mission. As Kristian thinks about this, he becomes angry and frustrated. So Kristian clenches his fists and fire surrounds them. Krisitan then raises one fist up and swings this fist backwards, hitting the wall behind him. Small flames leap away from Kristian's fist because of the impact.

With some of his frustrations used up on the wall, Kristian's mind turns to his mother. "Mom, what can I do now? I've failed Goran. I've failed Elsa. I've even failed myself," says Kristian to himself.

Kristian's thoughts travel back to his time on the side of the mountain when his mother was alive. Kristian recalls how his mother would tell him stories of royal balls and important visitors to a faraway kingdom. Kristian also recalls how his mother would take care of their home and how she would welcome him into the house with a hug and a kiss. This was especially important to Kristian after a difficult day, and Goran made many days difficult.

Now Kristian's mind goes to the time before the mountain, the time when his mother and he could not stay in any place for long. They had to always be careful and often they had to leave in a hurry. During one of these times, his mother was packing in a hurry. Kristian had set a hedgerow on fire during a game with some of the village kids, and many people saw this. Kristian can remember the fear he saw in people's eyes. Then his mother came, and she took Kristian into the house that they were staying at in that village.

"I'm… I'm sorry," says a young scared Kristian as he sits in a chair and watches his mother pack. "I… I didn't mean to cause the fire. It just happened." Small flames can be seen coming from the child's hands as he sits on the chair.

"It's OK Kristian. I know you didn't mean to. You just need to learn to control it better. In time, you will learn to use it in the right way; and when you do, everything will be fine. I promise you that," says Kristian's mother as she continues to pack and look over to her scared son.

Soon Kristian's mom is done packing and she picks up the pack and swings it over her shoulder. She then heads over to Kristian and reaches for her son's hand. She was in such a hurry that she didn't notice the flames coming from her son's hands. The flames cause Kristian's mom to scream in pain as her hand is burned. Kristian screams as well as he realizes that he has just hurt his mom. So the young Kristian gets up and runs to a corner of the room.

Meanwhile, Kristian's mom drops the pack and runs to a pail of water. She puts her burned hand into the pail too sooth the pain. After a moment, Kristian's mom pulls her hand out of the pail and raps a cloth around her hand. She then turns to Kristian and approaches him. As she nears the boy, Kristian's mom kneels down in front of him and extends her hand.

"It is OK Kristian. Just give me your hand," says Kristian's mom in a calming voice.

"No!" cries Kristian as he shakes his head and holds his flaming hands together under his chin. The young boy is scared of harming his mother again.

"Trust me, it will be all right. I believe in you and I always will," says Kristian's mom as she encourages her son.

So Kristian reaches a trembling hand out towards his mother. Flames still flicker off of his fingers. As his hand nears his mother's he stops and looks down at the fire on his hand. Then with an anxious expression he looks up at his mother.

His mother has a warm smile on her face and she nods to her son. "Whatever happens Kristian, I will never blame you," says Kristian's mom.

Kristian looks back down at his hand and slowly grabs a hold of his mother's hand. As he does, the small flames on his hand begin to move around his mother's hand. However, the flames do not burn his mother. Instead the flames actually move to the surface of both of their joined hands. The young Kristian begins to cry as he holds his mother's hand.

Then Kristian's mother pulls her son to her and gives him a hug, and he hugs her back. "See I told you that you can control it," says Kristian's mom as she continues to give Kristian a hug. Then she pushes him away with her hands on his shoulders and says, "No matter what happens, no matter what happens to me, I want you to understand that I will always love you."

As Kristian remembers this event, as he sits in the cave, he says, "Mom, if only your love would be able to fix this now."

AS Kristian sits and thinks of this, he begins to think of the previous night when he took Elsa out of a window. After Kristian had lowered both of them down on a rope to the ground, Elsa had used her powers to remove some snow off of his back. After thinking of this, Kristian sits up right and says, "Love."

Kristian gets up off of the floor and walks to the mouth of the cave. "Elsa says she can reverse her magic with love," says Kristian. "Can it be that simple? Can it be done against someone else's magic?"

Kristian reaches his arms forward and focuses his thoughts on the bars. For a brief period nothing happens, but then some small hints of orange energy begin to move away from the bars. The rate of energy release soon increases. Then fracture lines begin to show up in the bars. Now Kristian steps forward and places his hands on the bars. Kriatian continues to focus his thoughts on the bars. After a little time, the bars begin to crumble, one by one. Now the bars are nothing but piles of debris at the mouth of the cave.

Kristian lets out a sigh of relief and steps out of the cave. He then hurries over to the cliffs edge and looks down at the village of Arendelle. The village is barely a small spec on the scenery, but an orange glow from Goran's fire can be seen. "Goran has already started," says Kristian with concern.

* * *

><p>Down in Arendelle, the bucket line has been having very little effect on the fire that surrounds the harbor. Out on the ice, Elsa and Goran battle each other. So far Elsa has been able to stave off Goran's attacks, but Goran has been increasing the strength of his strikes.<p>

Meanwhile, Kristoff is standing near the fire and he throws a bucket of water on the fire. As he throws the bucket, a few arrows are fired through the flames. However, the shafts of the arrows burn up instantly and the arrowheads clink onto the ice.

"This isn't working," says Kristoff as he hands the empty bucket back to another person.

"We can't give up!" exclaims Anna as she stands near Kristoff and hands him another full pail. "Elsa can't keep holding Goran off like this. She needs us!"

"I didn't say we should give up," replies Kristoff as he tosses the pail onto the fire. "We need a different strategy, something that can really douse this fire."

"But what else can we do?" asks Anna. "How are we going to find enough water to dump onto the fire at one time?"

"We need something that can hold a lot of water," says Kristoff as he begins to look around the area. Soon his eyes fall upon a watering trough. "Like that trough over there!" Kristoff begins to move towards the trough and calls out to some nearby men. "Come on!"

The men follow Kristoff over to the trough and help him to pick up the trough. They begin to carry it over towards the fire. Anna then begins to give orders. "I need buckets ready to be tossed all at the same time! Archers and crossbowmen, prepare to fire when the fire is doused! We may only have one shot at this to aid the queen!" commands Anna.

Out on the ice, Goran has generated several arching flames from the surrounding wall of fire. They arch high into the air and come down upon Elsa. In response, Elsa has created a protective layer of cold air and snow above her; but the force of the plunging fire forces Elsa down onto her knees and hands. The protective layer of snow also becomes very thin, and the heat begins to bear down hard upon Elsa. Soon Elsa begins to feel the fire burn.

Just as this was happening, Anna had given the command for everyone to act. Kristoff and the men dumped the trough and many buckets of water. The fire hisses and sputters. As the flames dim, arrows are shot through the fading fire. Some arrows still burn up as they go through, but many still remain in flight. Most are on fire but a few are not. The arrows quickly fly through the air to their intended target. However, because of the fight, Goran is putting out a lot of heat. Those arrows that had caught fire begin to burn up and those that weren't burning catch fire. Yet one arrow still makes it through this heat and manages to graze Goran's arm.

Goran screams in pain as the arrow grazes him, and Goran loses his concentration on his attack against Elsa. The fire around Elsa fades away and Elsa can be seen coughing as smoke rises from her clothes. Goran's fire had singed Elsa's clothing.

Meanwhile, while grabbing his wounded arm, Goran turns to face the direction that the arrow had come. As he turns, Goran sees another barrage of arrows coming at him. He launches a fireball at these arrows, and the fireball disintegrates these arrows. Now Goran has time to focus on the source of these arrows, and he sees his firewall diminished. Behind that firewall, Goran can see the archers and bowmen reloading their weapons; and he sees other men working on putting out his fire. Goran becomes furious at this sight and raises his arms up into the air. In response, the firewall roars back to life and thickens. The firewall also begins to grow very tall. Everyone at the harbors edge has to pull back from the heat of the fire.

While this was happening, Elsa gets to her feet and forms ice daggers in the air. These daggers are suspended by the cold air that created them. However, Elsa hesitates for a moment. The last thing she wants to do is to harm another individual, especially someone that Kristian seem to be loyal too. However, Elsa knows that Goran has manipulated Kristian and that her own life is now at risk. Finally Elsa decides that she has no choice but to act. So Elsa waves her arms forward and the ice daggers streak through the air towards Goran.

Meanwhile, Goran's body is giving off a lot of heat because of the energy he has been putting out. So when the first daggers hit Goran they are nothing more than mere slush. Still Goran has to take a step because of the impact. As Goran turns to look, he gets struck again. This time only the points of the daggers are melted and they resemble ice balls more than daggers. Now the impact of these flying objects is much more severe. They hit with enough force to knock Goran down and send him sliding across the ice. Now steam rises from the ice as Goran slides across it.

Goran is dazed by the attack, but not senseless. Goran manages to get to his knees and generates a small wall of flame around him. As he completes the wall, another barrage of ice daggers strikes the fire wall. The firewall melts these daggers. Goran now scrambles to his feet and tries to reorient himself. In a moment, Goran has relocated Elsa. However, Elsa soon disappears out of sight as a wave of blowing snow erupts from behind Elsa and pushes past her. Goran now focuses his fire wall in the direction of the oncoming snowstorm. The wall takes the brunt of the storm but the snow soon swirls all around Goran. Now Goran fires a large fireball in the direction that Elsa was last seen. This fireball clears a line of sight through the storm but Elsa is no longer there.

"You think you can hide from me!" shouts Goran as he launches another fireball in another direction. "All you are doing is delaying the inevitable!"

"It's not inevitable!" replies Elsa. "You're alone on your mission! Where I am not alone, and this storm works in my favor!

"You are as blind in this storm as I am!" yells Goran as he does a sweep of flame through the storm. "You are harming yourself as much as me, and do you actually think your friends will be able to break through my firewall?"

"You are harmed more by the storm than I am!" replies Elsa. "The cold has always been my companion, and the snow and ice can act as my shield! My magic thrives here, where yours is hindered! As for my friends, they will never give up trying! Even if they don't succeed, the power you have to spend to maintain that wall will drain you of your energy!"

Goran begins to laugh, and then he says, "You have no idea the amount of power that I have! I've been restraining myself for my own protection! You're too young to understand witch, but someday your own powers will grow so strong that they will begin to affect you! Just like my powers have affected me! Now you are going to see what I am capable of, when I no longer hold myself back!"

Almost instantly, fire begins to emerge from the core of Goran's body. This fire soon climbs up his torso, and Goran raises his hands up into the air. The fire continues to grow and begins to reach high into the air. Soon the flames emerge out the top of the snow storm. Then the fire begins to expand in size, and as it does it draws the snowstorm into its fire. It takes a little time but the snowstorm eventually thins.


	20. Chapter 20

Up on the mountain, Kristian mind is racing. "I've got to get down to Arendelle fast!" exclaims Kristian. "Any sort of riding beast will still take too long! A flying creature would be best but to create one that I can properly control and ride will take time! What I really need is Mattias, but I'm going to have to get along without him."

Kristian raises his hands out in front of him and his magic in its purest form begins to swirl out of his open palms. Just then, Kristian hears a faint screech. Kristian stops what he is doing and looks around. "Mattias?" questions Kristian. Kristian doesn't see anything until his eyes pass a spot where there are small fires on the ground. This spot is where the remnants of Mattias's fire fell to the ground.

As Kristian's eyes pass this spot one of the flames briefly bursts into the shape of a small eagles head and then quickly fades. "Mattias!" shouts Kristian as he runs to the fading flame. As he nears this fire, Kristian stretches a hand out and emits his pure energy into this fading fire. The fire begins to grow and Kristian falls to his knees in front of it. Soon the shape of an eagle can be seen in the flames.

"You clever bird," says Kristian. "You found a way to survive by clinging to some of the combustible debris around here."

Now Kristian places his hands opposite each other along the sides of Mattias's fire. Kristian focuses his energy into this fire and it quickly grows. In no time, Mattias turns into his bird form but his form is flaming up and hot. Mattias jumps up onto Kristian's arm and flaps his wings. Small sparks fly off his wing tips as he does.

"I hated what happened to you Mattias, but I need to ask a big favor of you. I know you are not ready yet, but I need to be flow down to Arendelle. Do you think you are capable?" asks Kristian.

Mattias spreads his wings and screeches. He also nods his head in agreement. "Thank you. You are a good friend," says Kristian.

Mattias hops off of Kristian's arm and Kristian stands up. Now Kristian stretches his hands out over the firebird and begins to place his energy into Mattias. Kristian does this slowly because Mattias is in an unstable state. Yet Mattias begins to grow and fire erupts out of the top of the firebird as he does grow. In a short time, Mattias is large enough to carry Kristian, but Mattias's fire is unstable and he is flaring up instead of his smooth sleek form.

Mattias rises up, flaps his wings, and screeches. Flames shoot off his wings and fires ignite all around the firebird. Then Mattias lowers to the ground and Kristian climbs onto his flaming back. Kristian is quickly covered in flame, but Kristian is unharmed by the fire. Mattias now rises up and takes to the air with his passenger. His wings release a large burst of fire when he takes off and fire streams from the tail of the firebird as he moves through the air.

* * *

><p>Down in Arendelle, Anna and Kristoff had to pull back from the harbor. Goran's fire wall has grown and its heat had pushed everyone back. Out in the harbor, Elsa's snowstorm has been eliminated by Goran's large column of fire. With the storm gone, Goran lets his fire column burn out. Now Goran can look around and find Elsa.<p>

Soon his eyes fall upon the place that Elsa is standing. Elsa has prepared herself to once again to battle Goran. Elsa is prepared to strike as a cold wind blows around her filled with snow. However, Elsa is surprised when she looks at the face of Goran. Goran's face is crisscrossed with red lines. These red lines are Goran's own energy beginning to overpower his body.

"Your face!" exclaims Elsa.

"A mere trivial event!" replies a hostile Goran. "It is a side effect of pushing my powers past my own limit! It is something that you would have to look forward to, if you would have lived past today!"

Now Goran launches a fire stream at Elsa and Elsa counters with a massive flurry of snow directed at the stream. It is quickly followed by a line of rapidly developing ice spikes along the surface of the ice. These spikes quickly reach Goran and they strike him. Goran is knocked back a step and a huge cloud of steam is released from the melting ice.

As the battle continues between Goran and Elsa, back on land, everyone is at a loss of what to do. "Elsa needs us! There has to be something that we can do to help her!" exclaims a desperate Anna.

"The fire is too strong. We can't even get near it to do anything," replies Kristoff.

"We have got to find something that will allow us to help Elsa!" says Anna as she begins to look around the village square.

"Anna, there is nothing that we can do! It would take a massive amount of water just to reduce that fire wall to a flicker!" replies Kristoff.

Just then, Anna and Kristoff hear the call of a reindeer. They both look and see Sven coming down the street. He is pulling Kristoff's ice sled and it is full of ice. At the reins is Olaf.

"Yes!" exclaims Anna as she runs over to the sled. "Water is not the only thing that we can use!"

"Hi Anna!" says Olaf as he waves to the approaching princess. "Sven and I thought you could use something to cool you off."

"That was an excellent idea Olaf!" exclaims Anna as she begins to unhitch Sven from the sled.

"Hold up Anna!" exclaims Kristoff as he catches up with Elsa's sister. "What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm going to do what Olaf said. I'm going to cool things down. Elsa is not the only one that can fight fire with ice," replies Anna as she finishes unhitching Sven.

"There isn't enough ice here to make a dent in that fire wall!" exclaims Kristoff. "You're just going to end up burning my sled for nothing!"

Anna begins to climb up on the back of the sled and says, "We have already tried extinguishing the fire! This time I'm going to take the fight directly to Goran! There is enough ice here to protect me from the flames!"

"Ya, let's do this!" exclaims Olaf as he stands up and points towards the fire wall. "Let's get this old ice toboggan going!"

Kristoff looks up at Anna in disbelief. Then he says, "Anna you can't be serious! You have no idea if this will work! You can't risk your life like this!"

Anna looks down at Kristoff and replies, "That is my sister out there. Elsa is fighting for her life. She has been willing to give up everything to protect me, and I just can't sit here and do nothing. No one else needs to come with me. I will take the risk alone."

Kristoff reaches up and grabs a hold of Anna's hand and says, "Anna, I…"

"I know Kristoff. I love you too," replies Anna. The Anna turns to the back of the sled. Sven had already moved back there. To Sven, Anna shouts, "Go Sven!"

Sven lowers his head and begins to push hard against the sled. It quickly begins to move. At the last second Kristoff grabs a hold of the back of the sled and pulls himself up onto the ice blocks.

"Kristoff!" exclaims Anna in surprise.

"If you're crazy enough than so am I!" replies Kristoff as he crouches down next to Anna behind a stack of ice blocks.

"Woo Hoo!" shouts Olaf as he stands up on the seat of the sled.

With only seconds to spare Kristoff reaches up and pulls the snowman back behind the ice blocks. Then Sven stops running and the sled leaps off of the village square and hits the fire wall. A roar of fire is heard as the sled enters the fire. Flames from the fire quickly ignite the wood of the sled and the ice begins to rapidly melt. The fire also bends over the top of the sled and is only inches away from the trio that is crouched behind some ice blocks. In a mere second or two, the sled finally exits the fire wall.

"We made it!" exclaims Anna as she sits up right on the sled.

Kristoff and Olaf get up as well. Then all of a sudden the sled collapses. The fire had severely burned up the wood on the sled. "Sure we made it, but this is the second sled you burnt up for me," bemoans Kristoff.

It can easily be replaced," exclaims Anna as she climbs off the ice blocks and then scans the area for Elsa.

"At the rate you are going through them, you are going to have to buy me a whole fleet!" replies Kristoff in slight exasperation.

Soon Anna sees Elsa and Goran. Goran is releasing a steady stream of fire at Elsa, and Elsa is countering this with a heavy stream of snow. The fire gets split apart by the snow and shoots away from the center of the streams. The snow is in a more concentrated stream than the fire. Elsa has to do this just to maintain any sort of defense against Goran's massive fire magic. Yet, even this attempt was beginning to show signs of failing.

"There's Elsa!" exclaims Anna as she points in her sister's direction.

Anna begins to move towards Elsa, but Kristoff calls out as he gets down off the ice blocks. "Wait, Anna! What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm going to help Elsa!" exclaims Anna as she turns back to look at Kristoff.

"How? With what?" asks Kristoff? "Neither one of us came out here prepared to fight someone with his kind of magic!"

"I don't know how we are going to fight Goran," replies Anna. "But if all I am able to do is be a distraction, I will do that for Elsa!"

"It is a shame we can't fight with snow and ice like Elsa can," says Olaf as he climbs down from the blocks of ice.

Anna's eyes brighten up as she looks at Olaf and the pile of ice blocks behind him. "Who says we can't fight with ice!" exclaims Anna as she walks back towards Olaf.

"What? Me!" exclaims Olaf. "I would barely be a drop in a bucket against someone like him!"

"No Olaf. I'm talking about the ice that we used to get out here," replies Anna as he tries to get one of the blocks off the pile.

Kristoff steps up to what was left of the sled and pulls a pair of metal ice tongs out of the ash. "It is going to be a long shot Anna, but it is the best thing that we can do," says Kristoff as he goes and grabs an ice block with the tongs and swings it off the pile.

"Any shot is better than none," says Anna as she gets her block off the stack and pushes it to the side.

While Kristoff, Anna, and Olaf dismantle part of the ice block stack; Goran is continuing his fire stream against Elsa. However, Goran is becoming annoyed with the length of time it is taking to finish Elsa off. "Witch! Why don't you give up?" shouts Goran as he intensifies his fire stream.

The fire pushes forward and gets real close to Elsa. Elsa grunts as she tries to respond. Elsa manages to intensify her snow stream enough to stop the fires push, but the fire is close enough for her to feel the heat. Soon Elsa begins to sweat from the effort and the heat.

The glowing red lines that had formed on Goran's face begin to glow brighter because of the extra energy he is using. Now Goran concentrates hard as he is about to up his power again. Just as he is starting to push forward with this stronger fire, an ice block comes sliding across the ice and strikes Goran's feet. Goran yells as he releases his fire and falls over as the block of ice trips him. Goran's fire shoots over the head of Elsa and Elsa's snow stream surges forward and covers Goran in a heavy flurry of snow.

Elsa is surprised at what had just happened. All she sees is Goran lying on the ice of the harbor. Goran also does not know what has happened. For now, Goran just flares up his body to respond to Elsa's snow. Once that has been done, Goran can now see things better. However, the first thing that Goran can see is another ice block sliding towards him. It is mere seconds away from striking Goran. So Goran raises a hand and projects a flame at the block, but he is late and only melts part of the ice block. The second block strikes Goran, and it sends him sliding and spinning.

Elsa saw this ice block coming and she looks in the direction from which it came. Elsa finally sees who is responsible. "Anna! Kristoff!" says Elsa in surprise. Elsa did not expect to see them out on the harbor with her. She thought that Goran's fire wall would have prevented that.

Now Olaf, Anna, and Kristoff are busy setting up for another shot. Anna and Olaf slide a block of ice over to Kristoff. Then Kristoff grabs the block with his ice tongs. Then Kristoff picks up the block and hurls it with the tongs along the surface of the ice.

Goran has regained some composer from the last ice block strike. He gets to a knee and prepares to fire at the sliding block and the people that are sliding them. Elsa's becomes fearful for Anna and her friends. "Anna!" exclaims Elsa as she quickly fires some ice spikes at Goran. The spikes fly through the air and strike Goran. However, Goran is giving off so much heat that the points of the spikes melt off. However, the spikes still hit with enough force to knock Goran off balance. The fire that Goran was firing hits the ice just off to the side of him. At the same time, the block of ice that Kristoff slid hits Goran and Goran falls forward over the block and hits the ice hard.

Now Kristoff prepares to slide another ice block and Elsa begins to try and encase Goran in ice. At first, Elsa wasn't making much headway but soon ice began to form around Goran. However, Goran was not going to have any of this. With a yell from his knees, Goran flares up greatly and melts the ice that was beginning to encase him. Meanwhile, Kristoff had slid another ice block towards Goran. However, Goran turns to look at the block of ice and shoots a massive fire at the block. The block melts almost instantly.

"Enough of this!" growls Goran as he extends a hand towards Elsa. With this hand, Goran generates a large fire shield that absorbs Elsa's snow attacks. Then Goran raises his other hand and points it towards Kristoff and Anna. "Your fun is now over!" shouts Goran.

Goran releases a fire wall across the ice that travels towards Kristoff and Anna. It moves quickly and Anna yells out, "Look out!" Kristoff has to drop the ice block that he has and dives off to the side. Anna and Olaf also have to move out of the way of the fire wall. The fire wall soon cuts right through the place that Kristoff was standing. Also the fire wall continues to cut through the stack of ice blocks. When the fire wall gets in the midst of the ice blocks, it erupts and sends the blocks flying. As this was happening; Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf try to run out of harm's way; but the fire wall quickly encircles them. The fire wall then begins to close in on the trio.

* * *

><p>High on the mountain, a fireball can be seen moving through the air towards Arendelle. This fireball is Mattias, Kristian's firebird. Mattias is carrying Kristian on his back. With every flap of his wings, flames are released into the air and fire trails from the firebird's tail. Mattias's energy is unstable at the moment and Kristian has to continually put energy into the firebird to maintain Mattias's size.<p>

Mattias flies at a steady rate. To go faster would mean higher risk to himself and to Kristian. Yet, with every flap of his wings, Mattias is becoming more stable. The fire coming from Mattias's tail diminishes and the fire that covers Kristian has now receded back to the bird's body. By the time the pair get over half way down the mountain, Mattias is back to his stable form and Kristian stops feeding energy to the firebird.

"You good to go, Mattias?" asks Kristian as he leans his head down next to the side of Mattias's head. Mattias responds with a loud screech. "Then release your energy and get me down there fast," says Kristian.

Mattias then soars high into the air and as he turns back towards Arendelle, Mattias sweeps his wings back and goes into a fast dive. Fire roars off the wings of the firebird as the speed of the bird starts to rapidly increase. Meanwhile, Kristian is steadily feeding energy into Mattias to keep Mattias at a suitable riding size.

* * *

><p>Down on the ice covered harbor, Goran's attention is split in two different directions. In one direction, Goran has to defend himself against Elsa. In the other direction; Goran is dealing with Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf. Goran has trapped the trio in a tall fire ring, and the fire ring is closing in on the trio.<p>

Elsa sees this and cries out in fear, "Anna! Kristoff!"

Elsa has been trying to attack Goran through a fire shield that he had created. Now Elsa stops trying to penetrate Goran's defenses and turns her magic onto the fire ring of Goran's. Elsa emits a fast thin stream of snow that shoots quickly over to Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf. The snow stream penetrates the fire ring and begins to swirl around Anna and the others. The swirling snow creates a barrier against the fire ring and stops the inward push of the fire.

Now Goran smiles at what Elsa has done. "Caring about anyone else other than yourself is a mistake!" exclaims Goran as he turns his fire back onto Elsa.

Goran sends out a steady stream of fire towards Elsa, and Elsa responds defensively. This time Goran's fire manages to wrap itself nearly all the way around Elsa. Elsa is giving her all to try and defend herself, but the energy she spent to protect Anna and the others is now costing her. Goran's fire is slowly closing in on her and Elsa can feel the heat once again.

"Your defense of your friends has cost you witch!" shouts Goran. "But your demise was inevitable! I will rule over multitudes; and after today, few will dare challenge my rule over them!"

Now Goran intensifies his fire and the glowing red lines on his face ignite with flame. The fire around Elsa closes in on her and Elsa starts to cry out in pain. "No! Elsa!" cries out Anna as there is nothing that she can do for her sister now. Suddenly, a fireball streaks out of the sky and it seems to strike Elsa. "ELSA!" cries Anna as she watches as Elsa disappears from view.

Almost instantly, a flash of Elsa's energy comes out from the center of the strike. Goran stops his attack and extends his arms out to his side as he waits for the energy to hit him. This blue energy moves quickly across the ice extinguishing all fires that it encounters. All that can be seen from the spot of the strike, after the fires are out, is bare ice. Goran smiles as the energy approaches him. As the energy hits him, Goran allows the magic to enter his body and the glowing red lines on his face disappear. After this, Goran begins to scowl.

"That's it?" growls Goran. "After all that effort; the only thing that witch emits, is a measly amount of magic."

Just then, Mattias lands on the ice several feet away from Goran. Everyone is surprised to see Kristian, including Goran. "You actually escape the cave, and you recreated your dam bird as well," says Goran. "You have gotten better with your powers, and I am glad that you have come to your senses. You can only exist in this world at my side. That witch could never have done anything for you."

As Goran was talking, Kristian climbs down off of Mattias. After listening to Goran, Kristian says, "It's over Goran! Your ice witch is dead! There is nothing here for us anymore!"

"We're not ready to leave yet!" snarls Goran. "An example needs to be made of this village! They have to understand that there are consequences for siding with an ice witch!" When Goran finishes speaking, he raises his hands and creates a beast of fire. Goran then climbs onto this beast's back. Once seated on the beast, Goran turns to Kristian and says, "Come let's set what is left of this village ablaze as a reminder!"

Kristian shakes his head in a negative fashion and replies calmly, "No."

"You sentimental fool," says Goran. "So be it! You have got to learn to break this need for connections. I'll burn this village myself!"

With that said, Goran takes off for the village and Kristian watches him leave; but before Goran is out of sight Anna speaks up. "How could you?" exclaims Anna as she addresses Kristian. "Elsa befriended you! She did everything that she could to help you; and this is how you return her kindness, by destroying her!"

Finally, Goran disappears into the village; and Kristian turns towards Anna and raises a hand. Then Kristian generates a fireball in this hand. Out of fear, Kristoff quickly grabs a hold of Anna's shoulder and Anna stops walking towards Kristian. Then Kristian looks off to his side and launches the fireball. The fireball strikes the ice of the harbor and it instantly melts. Then he turns back towards Anna.

"Go help your sister," says Kristian. Then Kristian climbs back onto Mattias, and then says," I've got to find a way to stop Goran."

"Elsa?" says Anna as Mattias takes to the air. Anna is confused by Kristian's comments, but she is hopeful as well.

Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff look over to the hole created in the ice by Kristian. Suddenly a head quickly emerges from the water, gasping for air. It is Elsa. "Elsa!" cries out Anna as she tries to run over to her sister. As she tries to run, Anna slips on the ice.

* * *

><p>In the village of Arendelle, Goran creates small fire gremlins as he rides along the streets. These creatures are not big, but anything that these gremlins touch soon catches fire. Goran crisscrosses what remains unharmed of the village. Meanwhile, Mattias and Kristian fly above the village and follow Goran's path.<p>

"What's Goran doing?" questions Kristian. "If he wanted to burn the village down, he would do it himself. The villagers could almost manage these things." After a brief moment of thought, Kristian comes to a realization. "Goran doesn't care about the village. These gremlins are just a distraction!" exclaims Kristian. Then to Mattias, he says, "Mattias head to the palace! I know what Goran wants."

(I made a mistake and left this last bit out. Finally realized it after reviewing what people were reading. it is a late correction. Sorry.)


	21. Chapter 21

Out on the harbor; Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf get to the edge of the hole in the ice that was created by Kristian's fireball. Meanwhile, Elsa swims over to them and she allows Kristoff and Anna to pull her out of the water. Once out of the water, Anna grabs a hold of her sister and gives her a big hug.

"I thought that Kristian had killed you!" exclaims Anna as tears of joy descend her cheeks. "I thought that he actually hit you with his powers!"

Elsa also hugs Anna back and replies, "I'm glad that you are safe as well." Then Elsa gently pushes her sister away and says, "And Kristian did hit me with his power. He just didn't hit me with his fire."

"I don't understand?" questions Anna. "Aren't they the same thing?"

"My own magic power generates the snow and ice that I project. Kristian's obviously does the same," replies Elsa. "When Kristian's fire struck, the flames actually went around me and melted the ice underneath my feet. As I fell into the water, I felt something else. It was Kristian's magic in its purest form. When it hit me, my own magic reacted uncontrollably to it. I accidentally froze the water again."

"That would explain the magic that was released after the fire hit," says Kristoff.

"Was anyone hurt?" asks a concerned Elsa.

"Only Goran's fires," replies Olaf. "It put the fires out. Goran was even pleased with it."

"That's what Kristian was up to!" exclaims Anna. "He wanted to convince Goran that you were dead, in the hope of persuading him to leave!"

"Well Kristian got it half right," says Olaf. "Goran thinks you're dead, but now he is creating a hot time for the villagers."

"What?" exclaims Elsa as she turns to look at the village. Anna and Kristoff look as well. They all can see small fires and smoke rising from the village. They also can see some villagers near the harbor working on putting out some fires.

"After we saw that you were alive, we forgot that Goran went to set the village ablaze!" says Anna.

"Not Arendelle," says Elsa. "My people don't deserve to suffer because of me."

Elsa begins to run to the village; and Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf follow her. As Elsa runs, she extends her arms down from her sides and activates her magic. Elsa freezes the water instantly that was on her. Then that frozen water flakes off of Elsa. Elsa is now completely dry.

"Wow, instant freeze dry!" exclaims Olaf.

Once Elsa makes it to shore, she lays a layer of snow on some of fires that were burning next to the harbor. "There, these fires should be easy to extinguished," says Elsa.

Then Anna notices something emerging from under the snow. It was one of Goran's fire gremlins. "Elsa!" says Anna as she points to the creature. The gremlin's fire was spluttering because of Elsa's snow, but it still relit the fire.

Elsa looks in the direction that Anna pointed and then struck the gremlin with her magic. The gremlin was then extinguished. "It's going to take more than I thought to put these fires out," says a concerned Elsa. "These gremlins will keep resetting every fire unless we put them out as well."

"Just lead the way Elsa," says Kristoff. "If you can take care of the bigger problems, the rest of us can handle the smaller ones."

While Elsa and the others head out into the village to combat the gremlins, Goran is completing his run through the village; and he is returning back to the village square. Goran is still riding his beast of fire, and he continues to ride the beast across the palace bridge into the courtyard. Finally, the fire beast stops a few yards inside the palace gates.

Goran climbs down off his beast and takes a few steps towards the palace. Goran then addresses the people inside the palace. "People of Arendelle, your unholy alliance with the demonic witch is over! She is dead and now you will see what your loyalty to her is going to cost you!"

Goran lifts his hands and he begins to flare up his hands, but as he does this Goran hears a voice call out. "Goran!" It is Kristian sitting astride Mattias, and Mattias is perched on top of the palace wall. Goran pauses what he was doing as he watches Mattias and Kristian fly down to the palace courtyard.

"What is your intended purpose Kristian!" demands Goran as he watches Kristian climb off of Mattias.

"My intentions are simple. The people here do not deserve to suffer any more at your hands," replies Kristian. "All I want is for us to leave and head back home. If not, then I will defend this place from all of your attempts at destruction."

Goran becomes furious with Kristian and releases a fire strike from one of his hands towards Kristian. Kristian lifts his own hands and creates a small fire shield. As Goran's flame hits this shield, the flame scatters in all directions.

"Haven't you learned yet? You can't defeat me!" bellows Goran. "You're such a pathetic example of a warrior! Every time I try to break you of this sympathetic weakness of yours, you find a way to cling onto something!" Goran's second hand then begins to flare up larger.

Kristian turns to Mattias who is crouched in an aggressive stance. To the firebird, Kristian says, "Mattias, go! Take care of the village. I don't want to risk losing you again to Goran."

After receiving his orders from Kristian, Mattias stands up right and lets out a screech as he spreads his wings. The firebird then takes to the air and starts to fly out to the village. Goran focuses his attention onto the firebird as it leaves; but before Mattias is over the wall of the courtyard, Goran launches a fire strike at the firebird. Goran intends to rip the bird apart for good this time.

Kristian had anticipated this move from Goran. Just as Goran launches his large fire strike, Kristian releases a small but intense fire strike of his own. The smaller size allows the fire to move quicker through the air than Goran's larger strike. Kristian's fire strike quickly rips through Goran's strike. With the center of Goran's fire gone, the fire strike has nothing to maintain itself. It quickly burns itself out as it moves through the air. Before Goran can react, Mattias is over the courtyard wall and out of sight.

Goran is angered by his failure and for Kristian's rebellion against him. Goran looks at his own fire beast and shoots a fireball at the feet of the creature. "Go! Finish off that bird!" gruffly says Goran. Now Goran turns to Kristian and shouts, "Your insolence shall not be tolerated! If you think I've been hard on you before, after today you will wish to return to those times! You will learn to obey me or you will suffer the consequences!"

Goran's hands and arms flare up and the fire climbs over the top of his head. Kristian's hands flare up as well as he prepares to counter Goran's moves. Goran now releases a massive fireball at Kristian. Kristian responds by creating a fire updraft that lifts this fireball up into the air and over the palace wall. The fireball comes down again into the frozen harbor and crashes through the ice that remains there.

Now Kristian counter attacks with a flurry of small flaming orbs. Goran stretches one hand forward and creates a small fire shield to absorb the impact. Yet once the orbs near Goran, Kristian makes the orbs shoot skyward. This surprises Goran. The orbs then change direction again and they come streaking down on top of Goran. Goran manages to respond by raising his fire shield over his head. The shield absorbs some of the impacting orbs but some of the orbs strike the ground. The orbs that strike the ground erupt in forceful explosions. These explosions end up knocking Goran to the ground.

Kristian now steps forward with both hands raised and flaming. "You have taught me a lot about how to fight, Goran!" says Kristian forcibly. "And I know how you fight! If I have too, I will use everything that you have taught me to defeat you!"

That is a two way street Kristian!" replies Goran as he pushes himself off the ground to his knees. "I know how you fight as well! The advantage is still mine!"

Goran takes his flaming hands and slaps his hands down onto the cobblestones of the courtyard. His fire enters the cracks between the stones. Soon a low rumble is heard from the cobblestones and a red glow can be seen between the stones. The courtyard begins to shake and Kristian has to stabilize himself to keep from falling. In a moment small flames can be seen coming from the cracks between the stones.

"Now you are going to feel my wrath!" shouts Goran.

The red light and small fires between the stones quickly start to disappear from the outer edge of the courtyard. This disappearance continues to move inward until the only remaining red light is under Kristian. Once this happened the cobblestones under Kristian explode upward. Kristian and the stones are sent skyward. As Kristian comes back down from a severe height, he generates a fire on the ground. The fire roars upwards underneath Kristian, and it creates a strong updraft. This updraft slows Kristian's fall as he falls into the middle of the fire. Still Kristian hits the ground with a thud. Kristian is now totally hidden by view by his own fire.

Now Goran steps forward and releases a large fire draft towards Kristian's fire. Goran intended for his fire to extinguish Kristian's fire but what it actually did was split it in two. Kristian was knocked back several feet by Goran's attack, but Kristian's fire was actually pushed away to the sides of the attack. The two halves quickly created two separate flaming paths that circled towards Goran. Goran has to stretch his hands out to his sides to block the two fires. However, this move left him open.

Kristian got to a knee and fired a strong blast at Goran. With Goran already preoccupied, this fire blast hits Goran solidly and sends him flying backwards into the courtyard wall. Goran yells out in pain as he hits the wall. Then he crumples down to the ground.

Kristian begins to walk towards Goran and says, "Arendelle isn't worth all this aggravation! What more do you think you can accomplish here! Destroying this village won't accomplish anything! Goran just leave knowing that you have won against your ice witch!"

Goran pushes himself up and leans against the wall of the courtyard. Goran is now facing this wall. "You think that you can give me orders," snarls Goran as his hand flare up on the wall. "You are supposed to take orders from me!"

Kristian begins to brace himself for Goran's next move. What Goran does next is to send his fire into the stones of the wall. The next thing that Kristian knows is that Goran has stepped towards him, swing his arms forward. What follows this motion is an explosion form the courtyard wall, and many stones from the wall went flying at Kristian. Kristian sends out a fire spike, right at the flying debris. Many rocks get diverted by the spike but a few made it through. Kristian gets hit and is knocked backwards dazed.

Goran now stands up right and slowly begins to walk towards Kristian. "I could have destroyed you long ago!" shouts Goran as he flares up his hands. "But I thought that you could have been useful to me when I first saw you. With your powers, you could be the general of my army; and I would be your king! Now you are willing to betray me, and you are willing to take action against me as well. I now see that you don't have the heart to be a real warrior! I should have destroyed you when I destroyed both of your parents!"

"My parents?" says a confused and unstable Kristian. "My mother died because of me, because someone wanted to do me in."

Kristian tries to push himself up off the ground but Goran launches a fireball at Kristian. This fireball knocks Kristian back down. "Your mother did die because of you, but not because someone wanted to harm you," says Goran. "The man that came was your father, and he and your mother wanted to take you away with them. I could not allow that to happen! You were too valuable as an asset to lose, and the threat that you posed as a potential enemy was too great! You had to stay with me! Either to be a tool for me to use, or as an enemy that I could easily and swiftly deal with! I've decided now that you are the latter!"

Goran raises his hands out to the side and over his head. Between his hands, fire begins to swirl and come together. A fireball begins to form of a large size and high intensity. The fire is initially orange in color but in a short time it turns to a bright red. The light from the fire continues to get brighter until the flame turns to high intensity white color. It is nearly a milky white fire with only hints of red around the outside. It is the hottest fire that Goran can create. It is so hot that even Goran can barely tolerate its heat over his head.

Meanwhile Kristian is lying on the courtyard. He is slowly moving around on the ground and has been listening to Goran. Kristian looks up to see the large fireball above Goran's head, and then Kristian drops his head down and closes his eyes. In a moment some small wisps of flame begin to swirl around Kristian.

Goran looks at Kristian and begins to laugh. "Is that all you are able to do now, a few wisps of flame! That isn't a defense at all! If you can't do better, then this will end quickly!" says Goran.

Now Goran releases the fireball at Kristian. It roared as it moved through the air and the air itself hissed as it passed. In what seemed like in a blink of the eye, the fireball crossed the distance and seemed to strike Kristian. Goran stood there in almost a gloating look but that look soon changed to astonishment. Goran's super fire began to swirl and start to cool. The white color of the fire began to change to a bright red and soon to an orange. In a few seconds, Goran could see a figure in the fire.

It was Kristian, and he was kneeling on the ground with his arms outstretched. Kristian was working on dissipating the fire and soon the fire was nothing but thin wisps again. Once Kristian had done this, he slowly began to push himself up to his feet.

"How is this possible?" exclaims Goran in disbelief. "You had nothing, and you were broken! You shouldn't have had the skills or power to block such an attack!"

Kristian looks over to Goran sternly as he steadies himself on his feet. Then in a confident voice he replies, "You have taught me a lot about how to survive and how to use my powers, but you don't know everything! I have also learned from others! Things that you have no comprehension of, and have shown no capability or desire of learning! The most important of those things that I am talking about is love!"

"Love!? It is a weakness!" shouts Goran. "It is what condemned your mother to death! It is what has caused you to risk your life and for what; a village that surely will despise you, a monster that would have destroyed you if I hadn't taken her out!"

"You will never understand Goran!" replies Kristian. "It was my mother's love that kept me alive during my early years, and it was she that taught me how to love! But it was when we came to Arendelle that I learned of the power that I had with that love! Something that the Snow Queen taught me! So it is for Elsa that I am will to protect her home, despite what the people here would think of a monster like me!"

"Love is nothing compared to anger and fury!" yells Goran as his hands flame up. "And to show you how wrong you are; I will burn down this palace, even the stones themselves will be nothing but molten slag!"

Now Goran raises his hands and his entire body becomes engulfed in flame. The fire begins to grow and starts to climb into the air. Soon the heat from the fire begins to catch the outside wood of the palace on fire. In response, Kristian focuses his own abilities by stretching his arms out and intensifying his swirling wisps. In mere moments, Kristian began to draw the fire away from the palace and into a swirl around him.

Goran becomes furious with what Kristian was doing and says, "You have never seen my full power, Kristian! There is no way you can keep up with what I am capable of releasing!"

Then Goran begins to surge his powers and the flames once again leap towards the palace. Kristian responds by increasing his own magic. The fire once again gets pulled into a swirl around Kristian. However, Goran does not stop releasing his power of fire. He continues to push out even more flame. Soon a swirling cyclone of fire surrounds Kristian as he does his best to block Goran's attempts. Yet, Goran continues to increase his energy output. Goran's and Kristian's battle continues like this for a long time. Neither one of them is gaining the upper hand and neither one is willing to give up on their attempts.


	22. Chapter 22

Out in the streets of Arendelle, Elsa is leading a fight against the fire gremlins that have been setting the buildings of Arendelle on fire. As Elsa puts out a blaze, the gremlins then come out of their hiding spots to attempt to relight the fires. Either Elsa or one of the villagers will extinguish these gremlins. Then Elsa will move onto the next big blaze, while the villagers remain behind to put out any remaining small embers and fires.

After Kristoff dowses a gremlin with a bucket of water he says, "We are gaining control of these little demons! Soon there won't be any left!"

"We couldn't have done it without Elsa's help," says Anna as she hands another bucket of water to Kristoff.

Anna takes the empty bucket from Kristoff and looks over to Elsa and sees some concern on her face. Anna walks over to her sister and asks, "What's wrong Elsa? You seem to be concerned about something."

"I am. It is these fires and gremlins," replies Elsa. "They are a problem, but the people should have been able to take care of these things on their own; and where is Goran? Honestly, I am beginning to think that this is just a diversion. Goran has to have something bigger planned."

"This isn't big enough?" asks Anna. "He has been setting the whole village on fire."

"With the kind of power that Goran is wielding, nearly all the wooden houses in Arendelle should be large infernos. Yet, all we are dealing with so far are small blazes."

"What sort of thing do you think he is planning then?" asks Anna.

"I wish I knew," replies Elsa. "But we also have not run into Kristian either."

"Maybe Kristian has stopped Goran and that is why we haven't run into them," says Anna.

"Maybe, or at the very least Kristian has interfered with Goran's plans and Kristian has temporarily stopped his actions," hypothesizes Elsa.

Just then Elsa and Anna hear Kristoff call out, "Elsa look out!"

Just as Anna and Elsa begin to look over to Kristoff to see what the matter was, they both see a group of fire gremlins charging them from around a building. Elsa quickly turns and tries to smother them with a layer of snow but only manages to get about half of the group before they were on top of her. Meanwhile, Anna has darted away from the oncoming gremlins to get out of harm's way. The remaining gremlins, that Elsa missed, jumped onto her and try to set her on fire. Elsa's magic powers prevent that, but the gremlins clinging to her made it difficult for Elsa to respond well. Elsa was eventually pulled down to her knees by the fire gremlins.

Kristoff runs to Elsa aid but one of the gremlins surges towards him. Kristoff has to jump to the side to avoid being hit by the charging creature. Kristoff, a little unbalanced, turns towards his fiery attacker. Meanwhile, Anna too runs towards her sister's defense and another gremlin comes at her. Anna stops running; and with her empty bucket that she was carrying, Anna swings the bucket and hits the gremlin. She knocked it several yards down the street. Anna's bucket was now smoking a little because of the gremlin but it was still intact. Kristoff, carrying his own empty bucket, now uses it on his attacking gremlin. With great force, Kristoff brings the bucket down from over his head and slams it into the charging creature. The force crushes the beast and extinguishes the fire gremlin instantly.

Elsa too is now able to fight back. In an unnatural position on the ground she starts to freeze the gremlins one at a time. As the gremlins are extinguished, Elsa is able to regain her feet and get to a more standing position. However, another group of gremlins have showed up. This time instead of heading straight for Elsa this group splits up. Three head towards Anna and another three head towards Kristoff. However, the largest number still heads towards Elsa; as she tries to eliminate the last two gremlins clinging to her.

Anna once again uses her bucket to hit another gremlin down the street, but the other two gremlins manage to grab a hold of her bucket and catch it on fire. Anna then screams, "No!" as she drops her burning bucket. Anna then backs away from the remaining two gremlins, and those gremlins begin to slowly stalk her.

"Anna!" cries out Kristoff as he once again slams his bucket down on one of his attacking gremlins. As that gremlin is extinguished a second gremlin jumps onto the bucket and sets it on fire. Before this gremlin can burn the bucket up, Kristoff swings the bucket over his head and hits the ground on the other side of him. The bucket splinters apart from becoming weak from the fire and the hard use it is receiving. However, the second gremlin is extinguished as well. Now Kristoff turns towards Anna to try and help her, but the third gremlin stands in his way and he has to stop moving forward.

Elsa is having her own problems with a much larger group of gremlins. However, this time she is able to maintain her feet as she fights them as the gremlins grab a hold of her and try to pull her down again. Elsa has been holding back with her powers. She is afraid of over using them and harm some innocent bystanders, especially Anna and Kristoff. However, when Elsa sees Anna trip and fall backwards; she cries out, "Anna!" Elsa now focuses her powers and lets out a brief cold blast that radiates out in all directions. The gremlins that cling to her are immediately extinguished. The fire gremlins absorb most of the cold blast and only a slight cold air is felt by Anna and Kristoff. Elsa starts to run to help her sister but another two gremlins jump onto Elsa's back. These gremlins knock Elsa forward and she falls forward to her hands and knees. "Get off!" shouts an angry and desperate Elsa. Elsa desperately wants to go to her sister's aid.

Anna, who is now sliding backwards on her seat away from two fire gremlins, looks over at Elsa and Kristoff and sees both of them preoccupied with their own problems. Just then one of the gremlins jumps at Anna. She screams, closes her eyes, and lifts an arm up in front of her face.

"No!" cries out Elsa as she lifts and arm to attack the gremlin attacking Anna. However, one of the gremlins on top of her, jumps onto her arm and pushes Elsa's ice strike towards the ground. Elsa totally misses the fire gremlin.

As this was happening, Kristoff and Elsa can see a streak of fire descending from the sky. The next thing that either of them knows is that a large firebird has come down out of the sky, and it has caught the attacking gremlin in its talons. Then as the second gremlin begins to run away, the firebird catches that gremlin in its beak and eats it.

"Mattias!" exclaims Elsa with relief and some happiness. Elsa now turns her attention to the gremlins on her back and roles over and begins to freeze them.

"Who?!" asks a concerned Kristoff as he focuses on the fire gremlin he has to face down.

"That's Kristian's bird!" replies Elsa as she starts to stand up after extinguishing the gremlins that had jumped on her back. "He's also a friend!" Now Elsa turns her attention to the few remain gremlins that still approach her. She begins to extinguish them with a burst of snow and ice.

Meanwhile Anna begins to pick herself off the ground while Mattias consumes the fire gremlin that he has caught in his talons. "I'm glad that you showed up Mattias," says Anna she brushes some of the debris off of her clothes.

Suddenly Mattias turns towards Anna in an aggressive fashion. The firebird lowers his head and partly extends his wings. Flames leap from Mattias's back as he lets out an aggressive hiss. "Mattias?" questions Anna with fear as she takes a few steps back from the firebird.

"Anna, behind you!" shouts Kristoff, just as he picks a flower box off the front of a house. He then slams the flower box down onto the fire gremlin, dirt first. The dirt from the box extinguishes the fire gremlin that he had been facing.

Anna turns around and sees a large fire beast nearing her. That beast then stops and starts to growl. Anna now realizes what is going on. Mattias was challenging this fire beast and she is caught right in the middle of the two fire creatures. Anna looks back and forth between the two beasts. She doesn't know what she should do. Suddenly Anna hears Olaf call out to her.

"This way Anna!" calls out Olaf as he waves an arm to attract Anna's attention. Olaf is standing under one of Mattias's extended wings. The heat from Mattias is heading up but Olaf still melts a little from the excess heat.

Anna is surprised to see Olaf standing where he is, but she does not hesitate to run towards Olaf. Mattias is still in an aggressive stance and Anna cringes as she passes the massive head of the firebird. Anna has to duck low to get under Mattias's wing, but she follows Olaf quickly under the firebird's wing. Kristoff has come forward and grabs a hold of Anna's arm as she comes from under Mattias's wing.

"You all right?" asks a relieved Kristoff.

"I'm fine," replies Anna. "Just don't let me get caught between two magical creatures again."

"Easier said than done, especially considering who your sister is," says Kristoff as he takes Anna out of harm's way.

Now Mattias and the fire beast are facing each other. Each one of them is not backing down from the other and both are looking for a weak spot on the other. Now Elsa has finally taken care of the last gremlins that were trying to attack her and she turns to look at the standoff that is going on between the two fire creatures.

"Enough of this!" says Elsa to herself. Elsa begins to charge up her powers. Cold air and snow begin to swirl around her hands. Then to Mattias she yells, "Mattias take flight!"

The firebird obeys Elsa's command and begins to flap its wings to take off. Once the other fire beast sees this action, it charges at Mattias. The firebird gets about ten feet into the air, when the other beast leaps up to strike Mattias. However, now this fire beast is totally exposed to Elsa's line of sight. She lets loose her powers and the fire beast is almost instantaneously extinguished. Nothing but a smoke cloud is left of the fire beast.

Elsa stands there with her arms stretched out in front of her. She is still focused on the spot that the fire beast was a moment before. It wasn't until Anna speaks that Elsa snaps out of her focus. "Nice shot, Elsa!" exclaims Anna as she approaches her sister with Kristoff and Olaf following. "You totally got him in one blast!" continues Anna.

Elsa finally drops her arms as she now looks over to the approaching group. "There must have been some serious emotion behind that strike," says Kristoff as everyone comes to a stop in front of Elsa.

"I got angry," replies Elsa a little sheepishly. "Normally, I don't like to get that angry. I don't want to accidentally go off and hurt somebody."

"Everybody gets angry sometimes, except me of course," says Olaf. "I just hope that I never get on your bad side."

Elsa smiles as she looks at the snowman and says, "I don't think you could ever get on my bad side, Olaf."

Now a warm breeze can be felt coming from the sky by everyone. They all look, and they all see Mattias coming down for a landing. The fire bird lands near Elsa. Once the firebird has settled, Elsa walks over to Mattias and says, "I want to thank you Mattias for helping us just now."

Mattias lets out a friendly squawk and lowers his head down. Elsa reaches up and pats the firebird on the beak. Then Olaf goes and picks up a piece of wood debris left over from the fight from the gremlins and walks up to Mattias.

"Here you go!" says Olaf as he tosses the piece of wood into the air towards Mattias. Mattias grabs the wood in his beak and consumes it.

"He's a bit large for a bird," says Kristoff in amazement at how Elsa and Mattias seem to be getting along.

"I don't think he is normally this big," replies Anna. "When I first saw Mattias, he was the size of a normal hawk. Then Kristian made him grow so that he could carry him."

Elsa then turns to look at Anna and Kristoff. The she says, "That is true. He used Mattias to fly up the mountain to speak with Goran on my behalf, obviously with no success; but where is he now? Kristian should be with Mattias. I don't think Mattias would leave Kristian, unless Kristian ordered him too."

"Most likely, Kristian is trying to stop Goran," replies Anna.

"Yes, but where are they?" asks Elsa. "Where could Goran have gone that could be so disastrous that Kristian isn't here helping with these gremlins?

As Elsa finishes speaking, Mattias lets out a loud squawk. Elsa turns around and looks at the firebird. "Mattias, is there something that you want me to know?" asks Elsa.

Mattias then looks in the direction of the palace. Then he looks back at Elsa and lets out another squawk. Then he looks back towards the palace. "Is Kristian in that direction?" asks Elsa. Mattias lets out an affirmative squawk.

Elsa and the others begin to move out into the road to look down the direction that Mattias has indicated. "The only thing in that direction are the village stores and…," says Anna as everyone moves out into the road but she momentarily stops speaking when Anna sees two massive fire formations coming out of the palace courtyard. One formation is a tall tower of flame reaching high into the air. The second formation can best be described as a fire tornado. This fire tornado seems to be spinning rapidly and the flames from the flame tower are being pulled towards this tornado.

"The palace!" exclaims Elsa. "That is what Goran was up too! He used those fire gremlins to draw people away from the palace, so it would be left undefended!"

All of a sudden, Elsa and the others hear Mattias let out an aggressive hiss. They all turn to look and they see Mattias looking at a nearby fire. "Mattias, what is it?" asks an anxious Elsa. Suddenly, Mattias launches himself forward and his head disappears into the flames. In that same instant, several fire gremlins leap out of that fire and start to scurry away. Then Mattias lifts his head out of the fire with one of the gremlins in his mouth. The firebird then consumes this gremlin. Once the firebird was done, Mattias looks over at Elsa and then back in the direction that the gremlins ran off to. Then Mattias looks back over to Elsa.

"Go! Take care of those fire creatures!" exclaims Elsa. With Elsa's blessing; Mattias opens his wings, lets out a screech, and takes flight just barely off the ground. Nearly every fire that he approaches, a fire gremlin leaps out and begins to run away.

"Come on!" exclaims Elsa as she begins to run towards the palace. Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf follow her. "Why would Goran want to draw people away from the palace?" asks Kristoff as he runs. "With the kind of power he is wielding, he shouldn't have had any trouble with normal men."

"Even Goran can't focus his attention in multiple directions," replies Elsa. "With the palace guards off fighting these small fires, Goran thought he could more easily destroy the palace. However, I don't think he anticipated Kristian's interference."

"Interference!" exclaims Anna. "It looks like Kristian is helping him burn the place down!"

"I refuse to believe that!" exclaims Elsa. "After all that he has done and all he had to sacrifice, I cannot accept such a fact as Kristian destroying our home."

Soon Elsa and the others reach the village square and near the palace bridge. Olaf is trailing the group when he sees one of the fire gremlins clinging to the edge of one of the buildings. The gremlin looks like it is being pulled by some invisible force into the palace. Soon this gremlin loses its grip and goes sailing through the air. "Heads up!" shouts Olaf. "There's a Gremlin flying at you!"

Everyone turns around expecting to encounter this gremlin in a fight. However, what everyone sees is this helpless creature sailing through the air. It goes over the wall and soon disappears into the fire tornado. "That was weird," says a surprised Kristoff.

After a momentary pause of disbelief, Elsa continues to cross the bridge. She is followed by Kristoff. Meanwhile, Anna has stopped to talk with Olaf. "Olaf you should stay here!" says Anna. "With all the fire inside the palace gates, I don't think your flurry is going to help you."

"Don't worry about me, Anna!" chirps Olaf. "There are more important things than a snowman's life."

"You're not just a snowman, you are a friend," replies Anna as she turns to follow Elsa and Kristoff. Olaf follows too but he keeps his distance from the heat of the fires.

Elsa runs through the open gates and stops a few feet inside the palace walls. The gates themselves are burning and the flames from the gates are being drawn into the fire tornado. Portions of, the palace front has also caught fire, but the fire does not seem to be spreading. Elsa stands there, taking in what she is witnessing. Elsa raises one arm up to help shield her face from the heat. What Elsa sees is large areas of flame being pulled off of a tall inferno of fire. These sections of flame quickly travel across the courtyard and enter the fiery tornado. With each flaming mass, the tornado pulses bigger before reducing back down. However, the tornado seems to get larger with each flame mass; as each mass seems to be larger than the last. In the middle of each fire formation, the outline of a man can be seen. In the fiery tower the figure has his arms stretched upwards. Whereas, the man in the fire tornado has his arms stretched forward and slightly to the side.

Kristoff, who was right behind Elsa, has to stop just outside the gates. The heat from the fires is too great for him to enter the courtyard. All he can do is stand there and watch Elsa, or look up over the palace walls to view the two fires raging.

Finally, Anna runs up alongside Kristoff. "Kristoff, why are you standing out here?" exclaims Anna.

"The heat is too great from the fires," replies Kristoff. "I really can't get any closer."

"But Elsa is in there!" says a concerned Anna as she begins to run towards the palace gates.

"Anna!" shouts Kristoff as he chases after her. However, as Anna nears the gate, she too has to stop because of the heat. "Anna, you can't go in there!" exclaims Kristoff as he catches up with Anna and grabs a hold of her arm to pull her back. However, Anna resists his efforts.

Anna stands as close as she can tolerate and looks in through the palace gates. Anna lifts her arm up to shield her face as she looks at her sister standing in the courtyard. "Elsa!" shouts Anna. "Elsa!"

Elsa partly turns to answer Anna but she keeps her eyes on the fire tornado. "Kristian is trying to pull the flames away from Goran! I'm certain of it!" exclaims Elsa. "Goran's just generating too much fire for him to handle! He needs my help!"

"Elsa, the fires are too hot, even for you!" exclaims Anna as she shouts from outside the gates. "There is nothing that you can do in that heat by yourself!"

Elsa now looks over to Anna and sees her struggling against the heat. "Alone no, I won't be very effective!" replies Elsa. "But I don't have to be alone!" Now Elsa turns away from Anna and begins to run towards the fire tornado.

"No! Elsa!" shouts Anna as she tries to move forward into the courtyard. However, Kristoff grabs a hold of Anna and pulls her back, just as the heat from the fires begin to cause Anna's clothing to smolder.

"Anna, you can't survive that kind of heat!" says Kristoff as he pulls Anna out of the heat and several feet away from the gates. "You just have to trust that Elsa knows what she is doing."

"But what can she do alone?" asks a concerned Anna.

"She won't be alone," replies Kristoff trying to reassure Anna. "Kristian is in there as well; and if there is anything that he can do to help Elsa, I'm sure that he will do it."


	23. Chapter 23

In the courtyard, Elsa is running at the fire tornado. As she runs, Elsa generates a layer of swirling cold air and snow around her to protect her from the heat. As Elsa nears the tornado, she lifts her hands up in front of her. Elsa holds her hands close to her upper body and head. Elsa then generates a swirling disk of snow in front of her, but she keeps the disk close to her and does not project it forward. Soon the swirling disk makes contact with the fire of the tornado. The disk rapidly begins to melt, but as it does Elsa jumps through the disappearing snow disk and enters the interior of the fire tornado.

In the interior of the tornado, Elsa finds herself standing next to Kristian. His arms are stretched forward and slightly off to the side. Around Kristian's hands, fire swirls in an aggressive fashion. Occasionally, this fire flares up and erupts in small bursts. The fire extends away from his hands and joins up with the fire in the tornado.

"Elsa!" says Kristian with great strain in his voice and surprise. "You shouldn't have come here! I don't have the ability to protect you in here!"

"I can protect myself, Kristian," replies Elsa. "I'm here to protect my people and also to help you."

"I need to do this alone!" says Kristian with effort. The strain of maintaining his cyclone is high. "I must do this alone!"

Kristian, everyone needs help from time to time," replies Elsa. "Even I need help. I'm fortunate that I have friends and family that will; and despite your reluctance, I consider you a friend. If you will allow me, I believe that I can help you now."

Elsa positions herself next to Kristian and stretches her hand forward. Elsa then grabs the back of Kristian's flaming hand and interlaces her fingers with his. Elsa feels a momentary sensation of pain from the heat of the fire; but then she uses her own magic to generate a small swirl of snow around their joined hands, and the pain is gone. At first, the snow and fire seem to fight each other; but in seconds a balance is achieved. Now the snow and fire swirl around their joined hands. Once Elsa was satisfied with the stability of their magic, a color split stream leaves their joined hands and begins to combine with the fire tornado. One color set is the orange and red of fire. The other color set is the white and blue of snow.

A ribbon of snow begins to weave itself into the fire tornado; and as it does this, Elsa lifts her other hand up and projects a snow stream into the tornado. Once this stream meets the wall of the tornado, the tornado begins to grow in size and is equally split between snow and fire. As the split fire and snow tornado grows, the fires in the court yard are drastically pulled towards the tornado. Even Goran's tower of flame is nearly bent in half as the upper part of the tower is being sucked into the tornado.

Outside the palace gates, Kristoff and Anna stand in the heat coming from the fires inside the courtyard. As Kristian's and Elsa's tornado grows, a breeze of air can be felt by Anna and Kristoff; and the heat in the air fades away.

"Something is happening!" exclaims Anna as she looks over to the palace gates. The first thing Anna sees is the fire on the open gates get diminished and pulled into the courtyard.

"Look!" exclaims Kristoff as he points up over the walls of the courtyard. Anna looks up and sees the fire tornado. What she sees is the fire tornado change. Elsa's snow has begun to form half of the tornado.

"It must be Elsa!" exclaims Anna. "But what is she doing? Is she taking control of the cyclone?"

"I don't think so," replies Kristoff. "It looks more like she is adding her magic to the twister, but how can that be possible? I would think the snow would extinguish the fire."

"Elsa said she felt a connection with Kristian. She must be able to use that connection to combine her magic with his," replies Anna as she watches the tornado in amazement.

Olaf, who is further back on the bridge, watches the events unfold over the palace walls. "Wow!" exclaims Olaf. Then Olaf hears an odd sound of distress behind him. He turns around to see what it is. What Olaf sees is a fire gremlin hanging onto a corner of a building. That gremlin was being pulled towards the palace. As Olaf watches this gremlin, streaks of flame begin to come down the streets of Arendelle. Also several more gremlins begin to tumble down the street and through the village square. A few gremlins even become air borne.

"Anna, something weird is going on over in the village!" exclaims Olaf as he turns to speak to Anna.

"Olaf, what are you talking about?" replies Anna as she and Kristoff turn around. Both Anna and Kristoff are surprised at the sight.

"Look out!" shouts Kristoff as he pulls Anna out of the way of a flying gremlin. A few gremlins and fire flames enter through the palace gates, but most go over the palace wall and enter the tornado.

"That cyclone is drawing fire from all over the village!" exclaims Anna as she holds onto Kristoff.

As Anna and Kristoff watch the spectacle going on, Olaf keeps looking back and forth between the village and the palace. Shortly out of the village, Olaf sees Mattias coming. However, Mattias is flying backwards. Like the fire gremlins, Mattias is being drawn into the tornado. Mattias is fighting the pull as best as he can, but he is losing ground. Long ribbons of flame are coming off of Mattias's wings and tail, and Mattias is getting smaller as his fire is being drawn off.

"Mattias!" shouts Olaf as he begins to run towards the firebird. "Hang on! I'm coming!"

Olaf meets up with Mattias at the far end of the bridge. By this time Mattias is down to his normal size. He had been using his excess fire to stay ahead of the pull of the tornado, but now Mattias has spent that energy. As Olaf meets Mattias, Olaf reaches out and wraps his stick arms around the firebird. "Gotcha!" exclaims Olaf. However, Mattias is still flaming. Olaf's face begins to melt and slide off. Olaf reaches up with one of his hands to push his face back up. As he was doing this, the stick arm that Olaf was using to hold Mattias catches fire. Olaf cries out in shock of his burning arm. Olaf then turns his head and calls out, "Guys I need help over here!"

"What sort of help?" asks Kristoff as he and Anna turn to look at Olaf.

Then next thing that both of them see is a fire melting through the body of Olaf. "Olaf!" exclaims Anna as Olaf's head falls down on top of what is left of his body and legs. Olaf still has one stick arm left and that falls down to the ground.

"That's Mattias!" exclaims Kristoff.

"The cyclone is pulling him in as well!" says an excited Anna. "We've got to do something!"

"Like what?" asks Kristoff. "How do you expect us to catch a fire without being burned?"

As Anna and Kristoff quickly talk, Olaf has managed to get his arm up and attached it to what is left of his body. He begins to run towards the palace. As he runs Olaf shouts out, "Flame down Mattias! Flame down!"

Anna and Kristoff hear Olaf call out. Then Anna says, "Of course! Mattias can control his fire!" Anna then takes a few steps forward and calls out to the firebird. "Mattias, flame down!"

As Anna and Kristoff watch, the flames on Mattias begin to diminish. Kristoff now steps ahead of Anna and reaches out and grabs a hold of Mattias as he nears. "Oh hot!" exclaims Kristoff as he grabs a hold of the firebird. Kristoff quickly shifts the firebird under one arm and begins to pat down his clothes.

"Kristoff, are you all right?" asks a concerned Anna.

"I'm fine," replies Kristoff. "I just grabbed a hold of Mattias too soon. He just singed my clothing before his heat was all gone. He is cool enough now."

Anna steps forward and looks at Mattias under Kristoff's arm. Mattias lets out a polite screech when he sees Anna. "This is the least that we could do for you, Mattias," says Anna. "After all, I owe you for saving my life." Now Anna turns to look back at the expanding mixed fire and snow cyclone. "I just hope that I can properly give my gratitude to our other benefactor," says Anna.

* * *

><p>Inside the walls of the courtyard, the mixed cyclone has been expanding. Goran cannot believe what he is witnessing. It's impossible!" exclaims Goran. "Fire and ice can't coexist!" Goran now begins to growl and the red lines develop on his face once again. Then with a roar, Goran's rage causes his tower to flare up greatly. The flames straighten some and the top of the fire tower now extends higher than the palace itself. The base of the tower also expands.<p>

As this was happening, the cyclone contracts inward on Elsa and Kristian. Both Kristian and Elsa let out a groan of discomfort and effort, as the cyclone contracts. The cyclone continues to contract as both Kristian and Elsa try to counter Goran's fire. "We've got to increase our powers!" says a straining Kristian.

"How, I don't think I can give much more!" replies Elsa with difficulty.

"There's a trick that Goran taught me, but I've only done it with him!" says Kristian. "I'm worried our powers won't work the same! It may be dangerous!"

"I don't think we have a choice now!" replies Elsa. "We've got to take that risk!"

"Fine!" says Kristian as he jerks his hand free of Elsa's. Elsa is surprised by this action as she continues to pour her energy into the cyclone. However, Kristian does not leave Elsa's hand for long. Kristian repositions his hand so that he can interlace his fingers with Elsa's. This time their palms are touching one another. "Elsa you need to push your energy into my hand, and I will be doing the same!" instructs Kristian. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," replies Elsa.

"Then go now!" exclaims Kristian as he begins to push his energy into Elsa's hand and Elsa begins to do the same to Kristian's.

As both Elsa and Kristian begin their energy exchange, they both feel the pain of each other's powers. They each cry out in pain, as they both continue the attempt as the cyclone they are in continues to contract. The energy that now surrounds their joined hands sparks and surges erratically. For a while, it looked as if their attempt was going to fail. Then the color of the contrasting powers changes and the pain fades from their joined hands. Instead of a swirling, clashing of colors of orange and white, a bright cool blue energy begins to replace it.

* * *

><p>Outside the courtyard walls stand Kristoff, Anna, and what remains of Olaf. They all see the surge in fire from Goran's fire tower and the shrinking cyclone of Kristian and Elsa. "No!" exclaims Anna. "They are losing to Goran!"<p>

Kristoff reaches up with his free arm and places it on Anna's shoulder. He is still holding onto Mattias under his other arm. "I know it looks bad, but don't give up hope just yet," says Kristoff trying to give Anna some hope. "As long as that cyclone still stands, Elsa will still be fighting."

"Don't forget about Kristian!" adds Olaf. "He won't let anything happen to Elsa! He does fancy her after all!"

"I hope you are both right," replies a concerned Anna. "But what can they do against such power?"

Anna looks back at the cyclone to watch the battle; and a few seconds later, a bright blue light can be seen shooting skyward out the top of the cyclone. "Something is happening!" exclaims an excited Anna. Hope builds inside Anna from this new sign of energy.

As the blue light begins to fade out of sight, the cyclone starts to turn color as well. It no longer is a combination of fire orange and snow white, but the color blue. The snow and the fire in the cyclone cannot be distinguished from one another. Once the color change is complete, a strong breeze is felt rushing in towards the cyclone. Kristoff and Anna have to brace themselves against this unexpected wind. A few seconds after the wind appears the fire on the palace gates go out. After the fire on the gates, the fires on the palace are extinguished.

The cyclone grows rapidly now and it significantly reduces the size of Goran's tower of fire. In just seconds the cyclone has expanded to the edge of Goran's tower. The expansion of the cyclone is stopped at this point. Goran is refocusing his fire to rage just in front of him. His fire is now acting as a barrier against the blue cyclone. For what seemed like several minutes, Goran held the cyclone at bay. Then Goran lowers his head. The fire lines on his face begin to flare dramatically, and Goran roars as he lifts his head. As Goran does this, his fire defense begins to rage and it pushes back the blue cyclone.

"No, not this time Goran," growls Kristian. Now Kristian brings his free hand down on his and Elsa's joined hands. This action causes more of Kristian's energy into the blue energy stream. This stops Goran's push back but now a stalemate has occurred.

Now Elsa brings her free hand down on their joined hands. "Now let's finish this, together," says Elsa as she looks at Kristian's face.

Kristian looks over to Elsa and a smile comes across his face and Elsa smiles back. Then they both look forward and they both push their energy into the cyclone. The cyclone begins to push outward again and Goran's fire bends backwards towards Goran. For a few seconds, things stand this way with Goran roaring with a strain in his voice as he tries to hold his fire defense together. Finally, the blue cyclone rips Goran's fire apart, and it throws him hard against the stone walls of the courtyard.

The blue cyclone now fades away and Kristian and Elsa step towards Goran. They both want to make sure the fight is over. As they near Goran, they both see him pushing himself off the ground. The lines on his face still remain. However, instead of being red with fire they are black.

"I see that you survived our last encounter witch," snarls Goran. "And you both have surprised me today. I was caught unprepared by your actions, but you're mistaken if you thing I'm done!"

Goran is standing on his feet now, and the lines on his face fire up again as well as his hands. However, before he can proceed any further, Elsa lets loose with her powers. She sends a wave of energy towards Goran that strikes him in the chest. The strike makes him stagger backwards and his fire vanishes.

After being hit, Goran then straights himself up as he places a hand on his chest. "Fool, you can't freeze my heart! I burn too hot for my heart to be frozen!" shouts Goran as the lines on his face begin to flicker to life again.

Now Kristian steps forward and he begins to wave his hands around. "Let's see if you're hot enough now!" says Kristian as he pulls the magic out of Goran. A stream of red energy leaves Goran's body and enters the out stretched hand of Kristian.

The fire and lines on Goran's face disappear as well as any signs of fire. Goran's limbs begin to freeze and movement starts to become difficult. "Kristian, you fool!" shouts Goran. "You can have no life here! In the end, she will destroy you! She will have no choice… but… to… destroy… you!" Finally, Goran freezes to solid ice.

Elsa lets out a sigh of relief as Kristian steps closer to Goran in silence. Meanwhile, Anna and Kristoff have entered the courtyard. "Elsa!" exclaims Anna happily. "You did it! You have won!"

"Yes, we won!" replies Elsa with a smile. "Kristian and I did it together." Elsa turns to look at Kristian and sees him not paying attention to the conversation. "Kristian?" asks Elsa as she steps towards him.

Then to everyone's surprise, Kristian lets out a roar as his hands flare up. Then Kristian releases a fireball towards Goran's ice body. The fireball just barely misses hitting Goran and smashes into the soot covered walls of the courtyard. Then Kristian drops his hands and his head.

Now Elsa walks closer to Kristian and asks with some polite concern, "Kristian, are you all right?"

Kristian lifts his head and looks straight ahead at Goran. "He was the last thing that I had to a family," says Kristian. "And I didn't even matter to him, at least not in the way that I wanted too."

Now Elsa goes and places a hand on Kristian's shoulder. Then she says, "I am sorry, Kristian. I know how important family can be, and I know that Goran has let you down. You didn't deserve what he did to you but you do deserve some peace of mind."

"What sort of peace can I find," replies Kristian as he starts to look to the sky. "I've lost everything that I cared about, and I've lost it all because of what I am." Now Kristian looks back at Goran and he continues, "I've even had to help you defeat Goran, and I may even have lost Mattias in the process."

As Kristian finishes speaking, a loud screech can be heard coming from behind Kristian. Kristian turns around and looks in the direction that the sound had come from. The first thing that Kristian sees is Anna and Kristoff, and standing on Kristoff's shoulder was Mattias. Mattias had gone up to Kristoff's shoulder, once Kristoff had released the firebird from under his arm.

"Mattias, you are still here!" says Kristian as his spirits pick up some after seeing the firebird. Mattias lets out a screech and spreads his wings. Mattias then flies towards Kristian, and Kristian lifts his arm up for the firebird to land on. "I'm glad you're still with me you stubborn turkey," says Kristian. "But how did you make it through?"

"Kristoff held onto him," replies Anna as she steps forward. "When we saw him being pulled in, we had to do something to help."

"I… don't know what to say," says Kristian as he is surprised by Anna's and Kristoff's efforts to save Mattias.

"Nothing needs to be said," replies Anna with a smile. "But thank you is always a good place to start."

"I am grateful, but I don't understand why you would," says Kristian as Mattias climbs up onto his shoulder.

"What's there to understand?" replies Anna. "You and Mattias have both saved Elsa's life and my own. Our efforts were just a simple thing of gratitude."

"I shouldn't deserve your gratitude or your kindness, because of him," says Kristian as he begins to look over to Goran again. Kristian then lets out a sigh and continues, "What am I going to do with Goran now? I can't just destroy what remains of him."

"We can find a suitable resting place for him, somewhere in the mountains where the cold air can keep him from melting," says Elsa. "I will even help to create an environment to keep him cool."

Kristian turns to look at Elsa with a puzzled look on his face. Then Kristian says, "After all that he has done, why would you do that for him?"

"I'm not doing it for Goran, but I will do it for you," replies Elsa.

"Even after everything that I have done for him, you are willing to do this for me?" questions Kristian.

"I don't blame you for what he has done, Kristian," replies Elsa. "The only people I blame are the Duke of Weselton and Goran. Yet, in some ways I should almost thank the Duke. If it wasn't for him, I would have never had the opportunity to meet you; and I never would have found a new friend."

Just then, what remains of Olaf hobbles into the courtyard, and he says, "We all found a new friend; and I, for one, am willing to help out any friend that I have!"

Everyone turns to look at Olaf as he hobbles towards Elsa and Kristian. "Olaf, what happened to you?" exclaims Elsa as she sees what remains of Olaf after he was melted.

"I just tried to help my friend Mattias," chirps Olaf. "I do like warm hugs; but when I gave Mattias a hug, he was just too warm for me."

"You really shouldn't play with fire," says Elsa humorously. "Here, let me take care of you."

Elsa begins to lift her hand to rebuild Olaf. As Elsa is about to start working on Olaf, Kristian reaches out and grabs a hold of Elsa's wrist. Elsa turns to look at Kristian as she is surprised by this action. "Let me help with this," says Kristian as he holds Elsa's wrist.

Elsa smiles and continues with her rebuild. The energy that flows out of her hand is the blue energy that Elsa and Kristian had just used earlier to defeat Goran. In just seconds, Olaf was once again his whole self again. However, the flurry cloud that was over his head has stopped snowing.

"I'm me again!" exclaims Olaf as he starts to jump around, but then he stops and looks up. "What about my flurry?"

"I just added my own magic in your creation," replies Kristian. "You're more heat resistant now. So you should be able to move more freely in the summer heat. You're just not fire proof."

Olaf starts to hop towards Kristian laughing and wraps his stick arms around Kristian's legs. "I knew that I chose a good friend!" exclaims Olaf.

"Olaf, take it easy!" exclaims Kristian as Olaf's dramatic outburst has caused Kristian to lose his balance.

Kristian begins to fall backwards, and Elsa responds by creating a pile of snow for him to land in. Meanwhile, Mattias takes off from Kristian's shoulder and lands on Elsa's outstretched arm. After landing in the snow, Olaf lets go of Kristian's legs and stands up. Meanwhile Kristian pushes himself up into a sitting position. His bare hands are in the snow and a little steam rises from the heat of his hands.

"Thanks a lot, Olaf!" says Kristian with some annoyance.

"You're very welcome!" replies a happy Olaf. Meanwhile Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff begin to laugh at Kristian's misfortune. Finally, Kristian begins to smile and shake his head.

Later that evening; Kristoff takes Elsa, Kristian, Anna, Olaf, and Goran to his ice warehouse. Elsa and Kristian clear a path to the building through the avalanche. Once there, the body of Goran is placed inside with the ice.


	24. Chapter 24

The next morning, Elsa and Kristian work on removing the snow. Elsa stays close to Kristian to reassure her people of Kristian's presence and also to reassure Kristian. Elsa causes the snow to lift into the air, and Kristian causes the snow to melt by creating a large spiraling fire with thin curving spiral arms. The melted snow falls like a warm rain down on the village of Arendelle. In an hour, the entire village has been cleared of snow and ice. All that is left from the avalanche are the rocks and debris that came down with it.

In the early afternoon, Kristoff has pulled out his ice cart. On the cart, Kristian and Kristoff place Goran's ice body. Then they place several blocks of ice around it. Once Goran is secured on the back of the cart, Kristoff climbs into the driver's seat and grabs a hold of the reins. Kristian climbs up next to him. Olaf climbs onto the cart as well.

Kristoff turns towards Kristian and asks, "Are you ready?"

With a sigh, Kristian responds, "Ya, let's go."

Kristoff turns to Sven, who is tied to the front of the cart, and says, "Come on Sven, time to move out."

Sven snorts and starts to pull the cart. The cart pulls out of the ice warehouse and travels down the road. As the cart reaches the edge of the village, it comes across Elsa and Anna sitting on horses. Above their heads, in the air above Arendelle flies Mattias.

Everyone is heading into the mountains to put Goran in his final resting place. Sven takes the lead as the group heads out of the village. Very little is said during the trip. A few subjects do come up in conversation. One subject is how nice the weather is today. Also the topic of how quickly Arendelle is recovering from the avalanche comes up. Anna even suggests that a celebration could be held at the palace once the repairs at the palace are complete.

Kristian has kept quiet during most of the talk. He has been lost in his own thoughts. Finally Olaf speaks to Kristian. "Hey Kristian, so are you planning on staying in Arendelle?" asks Olaf. "I think it would be real fun if you would hang around!"

Kristian snaps out of his trance and turns to look at Olaf. "I thought that I would move on Olaf," says Kristian. "I don't exactly mingle with others well."

"That's not true!" exclaims Olaf. "You and I get along great! You are also forgetting the dinner at the palace and the day you spent with Elsa and me! I think you mingle just fine!"

"Olaf's got a point," adds Kristoff, who is sitting next to Kristian. "Hey, when you're not caught up in some plot against the queen or so wrapped up in being different because of your magic; you are quite sociable."

Elsa and Anna have been listening to the conversation too, and they ride their horses up alongside the cart. "You don't have to go Kristian," says Elsa as her horse comes up alongside. "Plus, I haven't properly rewarded you for all that you have done for me and for Arendelle."

"I don't need any sort of reward," replies Kristian. "What you are doing for me right now, I feel is more than enough."

"It is a nice start, but I still feel like I should give you something more," says Elsa. "If you can wait a few days, I can arrange to have some supplies ready for you when you leave."

"I don't know, maybe," replies Kristian. "I'll have to think about it."

"Come on Kristian, you've got to stay!" interjects Anna. "Once the palace is back in shape, we are going to have a celebration. You've got to come to that one. The last party you were at, you left rather abruptly. I mean, what is the likelihood that you will be able to have some fun at a party, especially since you will be living alone on a mountain."

"I would appreciate you being there," adds Elsa. "I kind of come to enjoy your company."

"So what do you say!" chirps Olaf. "Want to stay and have some fun, with some new friends!"

Kristian hesitates for a moment. Then Kristoff says, "What will a few days matter. Everything that you will be heading back too will still be there. What you have just gone through with the rest of us, you could use a little fun."

"Will you stay for a while then?" asks Anna.

Kristian looks around and sees everyone looking at him with hopeful smiles on their faces. Finally with a sigh, Kristian says "Oh fine, I guess that I can stay for a little while."

"That's great!" exclaims Olaf. "You and I can spend all our time together until you leave!"

"Um, sure Olaf," replies Kristian, not sure of how to respond.

A little laughter can be heard coming from the others. Then Elsa says, "Olaf, would it be alright if the rest of us could spend some time with Kristian as well?"

"Oh sure, the more the merrier!" chirps Olaf.

It took a few hours for Kristian and the others to head up the mountain to the spot that Kristian had decided to place Goran's frozen body. The place was the cave that Goran had created earlier, and the place that Kristian was held captive for a while.

As the cart comes to a stop, Kristoff says, "This is the spot then?"

"Yes, I thought that it would do," replies Kristian.

Anna looks around the area and notices the lack of snow and disturbed surfaces. "Elsa, do you see how everything is disturbed around here," says Anna.

"It looks like some great force was at work," replies Elsa as she looks around as well.

"A great force was at work, and his name was Goran," says Kristian as he works to remove Goran from the cart. "This is where Goran set up his avalanche; and if you have a good spyglass, you can see Arendelle from here."

Kristoff and Olaf now help Kristian set Goran down on the ground. Once the guys were both standing on the ground, they pick Goran up and carry him into the cave. They only carry Goran a few feet into the cave before they set him down again. Kristian now flares up one of his hands to provide light and he walks over to the rock pile in the middle of the room. Everyone watches as Kristian stretches his hands over the rocks and makes them flare up like a campfire. The campfire now lights up the cave, and the smooth walls of the cave can now be seen.

"Whoa," says Anna as she examines the cave. "Did Goran do this as well?"

"Manipulating rock takes some talent, but Goran was a master of it," replies Kristian as he walks to the back of the cave.

Once Kristian has reached the back of the cave, he raises his hands and projects a large flame against the back wall. For a few seconds, the flames hit the wall and curl back away from the wall. Soon the flames begin to rotate and the rock begins to glow red. In just moments, the fire has become a swirling cylinder about the height of a man. Kristian causes this swirling fire to push against the wall of the cave. The fire swirls against the red rock for a moment. Then the fire begins to push into the rock wall. It takes a little time but eventually a small cavity is created in the wall of the cave. Once the cavity has been created the flames of the fire cylinder fade away.

"Wow, Goran is not the only one that's talented," says an impressed Kristoff.

"I have my moments," says a smiling Kristian as he turns around. Then Kristian walks over to Goran's body. Then he says, "That cavity will do. Let's place him inside."

Kristian and Kristoff grab a hold of Goran and carry him into the cavity. Goran now faces out of the cavity, as if he is watching everyone. Now Elsa steps forward and extends her hands. Elsa's magic powers project from her hands and line the cavity with ice. Then Elsa creates a clear sheet of ice over the opening of the cavity. Now Elsa generates a swirling wind around her body. After the wind swirls for a short while, the wind quickly extends away from Elsa in one direction and swirls around the walls of the cave. The wind quickly lays down a layer of ice on the walls and ceiling of the cave.

"There, a suitable place for Goran to rest," says Elsa when she finishes.

"It's more than he deserves, but I am grateful," says Kristian. Then turning to Elsa, Kristian says, "Thank you." Then turning to the others, Kristian says, "Thanks to all of you."

"Hey, no big deal," says Kristoff.

"It was a simple thing for us to do," adds Anna.

"We had to put him somewhere, and this is a good spot," chirps Olaf. "So if we are done, can we head back down to Arendelle? We've got a party to prepare for."

"Olaf, please! Can you try to be more respectful," says Elsa. She is worried about upsetting Kristian.

"It's all right," says Kristian. He then turns and looks back at Goran. Then after a pause, Kristian says, "There really isn't much more to do here." Then with a sigh, Kristian turns back towards the others and says, "Olaf is right. Things still need to be done. We should go down and get to them."

Kristian begins to walk out of the cave. He is followed by the others. Just before he leaves the cave, Kristian stops and lets the other go by and then Kristian waves his hand and the stone campfire goes out. Then Kristian leaves the cave. Outside the cave, Elsa and Anna are helped up onto their mounts by Kristoff.

Meanwhile, Kristian turns around and raises his hands. Using his powers, Kristian creates an iron door out of the rock debris lying around the mouth of the cave. After helping the ladies onto their horses, Kristoff heads to the cart and pulls out a heavy lock. He then proceeds to hand the lock to Kristian. Kristian takes the lock and locks the iron door on the cave.

Once this was done, Kristian climbs up onto the cart and sits down next to Kristoff. Olaf is sitting on the back of the cart. Once everyone is situated, Anna and Elsa lead the way down the mountain to Arendelle, followed by Sven pulling the cart. Mattias, who has landed on a cliff above the cave, takes to the air when he sees everyone leaving.

* * *

><p>It takes a week to get Arendelle cleaned up, but many repairs still need to be done. Elsa spends most of her time organizing the labor and arranging for supplies. Anna meanwhile focuses on repairing the palace and getting food to the workmen out in the village. Kristoff and Sven spend most of their time removing debris from around the village and the palace. Later, Kristoff and Sven deliver supplies to people who need them, and they also deliver the food to the workmen.<p>

Kristian feels a little out of place in Arendelle, but he does help by repairing the stonework at the palace. First Kristian spends his time repairing the cobblestones. Later Kristian works on repairing the courtyard wall. The work isn't difficult for him. Kristian is able to use his powers to shape the stones. When Kristian is finished, the stones fit as tight as any mason could have done; but it took Kristian only a fraction of the time. Kristian was able to finish the stonework in little over a week.

Elsa would take a break from her work, from time to time; and she would look out a window. She often would watch Kristian as he worked. A smile would always come to her face as Elsa watches Kristian. During one of these breaks, Anna happened to walk into the room without Elsa noticing. Anna walks up behind Elsa and looks out the window as well. Anna could see Kristian out that window and a smile comes to her face.

"That must be a nice view for you," says Anna cheekily.

"What! Oh! Anna!" says a surprised Elsa as she turns around to find her sister. "I was just… um… monitoring Kristian's work on the wall." Elsa turns back to the window and looks out at Kristian again. "He is making remarkable progress on the wall."

Anna steps up alongside her sister and looks out the window and smiles. "He is making good progress, but I think you have another interest in mind though," says Anna with a bit of humor.

"Oh, stop rubbing it in!" replies an embarrassed Elsa as she looks over to Anna. "I'll admit that I like Kristian, but that's all." Then Elsa looks back out the window and continues. "I just don't know how to proceed with him."

"Well, I might have an answer for you that could help," says Anna.

"Oh, and what would that be?" asks a curious Elsa as she looks back at her sister.

"Since Kristian has been making excellent progress, I thought that we could start organizing the celebration party," says Anna. "A party would be a good way for everyone to loosen up. Besides, the people of Arendelle could use a break and some enjoyment."

"Yes, a party would be beneficial for everyone, but do you think we will be able to organize one with everything going on?" replies Elsa.

"Just leave things too me," says Anna. "I've already had words with the musicians and the household staff. The interior of the palace is no problem. It has already been cleaned and can easily be spruced up in no time. Most of the exterior of the palace will be done within a few days. The only real problem will be the food, but the kitchen staff says that a simple feast can be prepared. With luck, I can even get some of the shops in Arendelle to help provide some of the food."

"Sounds like you have things well in hand," amuses Elsa.

"So shall I get things moving on the party then?" asks Anna.

"Yes of course Anna, by all means, set things in motion," replies Elsa. Then Elsa looks out the window again and smiles. "I think that I will enjoy this next celebration."

* * *

><p>For the next few days, Anna organizes the party. Verbal invitations are sent out to everyone in the village and the people in the surrounding countryside. Finally, the day of the party arrives. Everyone in the village was happy to take a break from the process of repairing Arendelle. However, Kristian had decided to continue to work. He and some workmen had just hung the new front gates that morning. Now Kristian was busy by himself placing the locks on the gates. Kristian has finished with the locks just after the first few party guests have showed up. Kristian has even fire polished the iron so that it shone in the sun.<p>

Now Kristian picks up his tools and heads towards the palace. He runs into Elsa near the front doors. She is there greeting some of the early visitors. "Kristian, I was beginning to worry that you were going to work right through the celebration," says Elsa with a smile.

I figured that I owed you, and that I should make the palace look complete before your guests arrive," replies Kristian.

"Thank you, but that wasn't necessary," says Elsa. "I never thought that you owed me anything; but if you do want to owe me something, how about a dance."

"A dance! Well… I… um…," says a nervous Kristian, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, that's OK Kristian," says a sadden Elsa. "If you don't want to dance, we don't have too."

"No Elsa, it's not that," replies Kristian as he doesn't like to see Elsa looking like this. "It's just…, I've never danced before. I don't think I would make a very good dance partner for you."

Elsa's face brightens up as she hears this, and then she says, "Dancing doesn't have to be that difficult. I could teach you if you want."

"Are you sure you would want to dance with such a novice as myself?" asks an uncertain Kristian. "I'm sure you would have much better dance partners than me to choose from. I wouldn't want to ruin your evening."

"I don't have that many partners to choose from," replies Elsa. "And I can think of much worse things that could happen to me, than having my toes stepped on. So what do you say? Care to learn how to dance with me? I promise to keep it simple."

A slight smile comes to Kristian's face. Then he says, "If you are willing to risk your feet like that, then I guess I could act like a fool in front of everyone."

"I'll try and not embarrass you too much," says a smiling Elsa. "But I think you need to get ready for the party now. People are already showing up."

"Um sure, it won't take me long," replies Kristian. Then Kristian begins to walk into the palace. "See you in a little while," says Kristian, as he waves goodbye to Elsa. Elsa waves goodbye as well.

In a little while, the courtyard is full of people and more people are coming in as well. The stone fire pits were re-erected in the courtyard and fires were burning in each of them. One of the pits was of particular interest to the visitors. In this pit sat Mattias. Every once in a while; someone, quite often a child, would hold a stick out to the firebird. Mattias would grab this stick and consume it in a fiery blaze, to the enjoyment of the children watching.

Against the walls of the courtyard, Elsa has erected several prism columns of ice. These columns are very reflective and shine brightly in the light of the sun. Bands of rainbow light exit the far side of the prisms and the light is displayed on the cobblestones of the courtyard.

In the main hall, many partiers are chatting away and a few are dancing to the music. Elsa stands at one end of the hall. Elsa watches the palace guests with a smile on her face. One couple that she watches happily on the dance floor is Anna and Kristoff.

Once the music has stopped, Anna says, "This has been just the thing that everyone needed."

"I can't argue with you there," replies Kristoff. "I certainly am enjoying myself."

Anna and Kristoff begin to walk off the dance floor and Anna looks around the room at everyone. "Everybody does seem to be enjoying themselves," says Anna. Then her gaze stops on Elsa standing by herself.

Anna stops moving and Kristoff stops and turns towards Anna. "Everyone is enjoying themselves except for Elsa," says a concerned Anna.

Kristoff looks over at Elsa and replies, "She seems to be happy enough, Anna. I think she is enjoying the party too."

"She is alone. How can anyone be happy alone?" says Anna. "Why don't you get us some refreshments while I see how Elsa is doing?"

"As you wish," says Kristoff. "And I hope that you will find Elsa in high spirits."

Anna raises herself on her toes and gives Kristoff a kiss. "Thanks, and I hope you're right, but I just want to make sure." Now Anna turns and heads to Elsa. Kristoff departs as well and heads to the refreshment table.

Elsa stands quietly by herself. She is very content with how things are going at the party. In a moment, Elsa sees her sister Anna approaching. "So are you enjoying yourself Anna?" asks Elsa happily.

"I've been having a nice time," replies Anna. "But I am a little concerned about you."

"Why are you concerned? I'm very happy with how things are going," says Elsa.

"But how can you be happy here by yourself?" asks Anna. "And where is Kristian, I thought that you would be accompanied by him?"

"Kristian will be here. He is just a little delayed," replies Elsa. "He just didn't want to quit working this morning, and his labor took him a while to finish. He did say he would be here though."

"I'm glad to hear that," says a relieved Anna. "So what are you planning on doing then?"

"Plan?" asks a puzzled Elsa. "What plan are you talking about?"

"Elsa, you have got to have some sort of plan to wrangle Kristian into asking you to dance," says Anna. "Otherwise, you could be standing her all the time just talking with him."

Elsa smiles at her sister and says, "Talking with Kristian would be enough, Anna; but I've already got a dance arranged with Kristian."

"Oh that's wonderful Elsa!" says Anna as she reaches out and grabs a hold of Elsa's hands. "So how did he ask you? Was he acting all romantic or was he a little clumsy about it?"

"He didn't ask me, I asked him," replies Elsa.

"You asked him?" says a surprised Anna. "I can't believe you asked him! I would have thought that Kristian would have freaked out, and yet he said yes!"

"It surprised him alright, but it was a good thing that I did ask him," replies Elsa. "Kristian would have never have asked me himself. You see, Kristian doesn't know how to dance."

"He can't dance?" asks a puzzled Anna. "Even Kristoff had some basic moves. All I had to do was refine them."

"Yes, but Kristoff hasn't been isolated on a mountain like Kristian has," replies Elsa. "I should have realized it sooner. Kristian's interactive experience isn't the same as most people."

Neither was Kristoff's, but I can see your point," replies Anna. "Kristoff at least interacted with other people, and he didn't just hang out with the trolls." Now Anna notices Kristian enter the hall. With him is Olaf and Olaf is chatting it up with Kristian. "Speaking of Kristian, guess who just entered the room," says Anna mischievously.

Elsa turns and sees Kristian. What she sees is Kristian's attention going back and forth between Olaf and the room. Kristian is searching for Elsa but Olaf keeps on wanting to talk with Kristian. "He's finally here," says a delighted Elsa.

"And I see one reason why he is late," says Anna with humor in her voice. "Olaf is not giving him a moment to himself."

"Olaf did say he was going to spend a lot of time with Kristian at the party," says a smiling Elsa. "I should go over and rescue him before Olaf drags him off somewhere."

"Go, have some fun," replies Anna. "I have my own gentleman waiting for me anyway."

Elsa turns and smiles at her sister. "If we can forget about what happened with Goran, this has been the best spring I have had in a long time," says Elsa.

Then Elsa turns and walks towards Kristian. As Anna watches Elsa walk away, she says to herself, "I did say that you could find someone at the spring festival." Then Anna turns and walks in the other direction to find Kristoff.

As Elsa and Anna have been talking, so has been Olaf. Initially, Olaf had been warmly welcomed by Kristian, but now Kristian finds him a bit of a hindrance. Originally, Kristian had been getting ready for the party in a room that Elsa had provided him. While there, Olaf had come in and provided him some company. Kristian didn't mind the company, but Olaf did slow him down a bit in getting ready. Once Kristian was ready to leave, Olaf was the one that led the way. Unfortunately for Kristian, Olaf took a longer route to the hall; and Olaf was introducing people they met to Kristian. This made the trip to the hall even longer. Kristian was OK with this as well, but he was starting to get a little annoyed with Olaf because of all the stops. Now in the hall Olaf is still talking away.

"Ta da! We made it to the hall!" chirps Olaf.

"Finally," says a relieved Kristian. Now Kristian steps forward and begins to scan the room. He is looking for Elsa, even Anna and Kristoff would do for now.

"So where do you want to go first and what fun thing do you want to do?" asks Olaf as he steps up next to Kristian.

"That's OK Olaf, I think that I can find something to do on my own," replies Kristian as he glances down to Olaf for a moment before he went back to his search.

"But you are going to need someone to guide you around," says Olaf. "The last time you had some difficulty in having fun. This time I am going to be here to make sure you have a good time!"

"Last time, when was the last time?" asks a puzzled Kristian as he looks down at Olaf.

"The last party you were at," chirps Olaf. "You barely spent any time at the spring festival having fun. You didn't even have an opportunity to taste any of the good food that was there."

"Olaf, I wasn't at that party to have a good time," replies Kristian. "I was sort of working that day," says Kristian as he goes back to searching the room with his eyes.

There is always time to have some fun while you work," chirps Olaf. "This time I am going to make sure you have some fun. I know what we can do first! We can start by visiting the food table. The cooks at the palace always provide some tasty treats for the guests. Let's go see what they managed to provide this time."

"Maybe a little later," replies Kristian as he glances down at Olaf.

"OK, if you are not hungry. Then how about we head outside and take a look at some of the beautiful decorations that Elsa has whipped up," suggests Olaf. "She always does put up some very fancy things for the party. The neat part about most of the things that she does, they always look different as the light changes."

"That's OK Olaf, I think that I will stay in here," replies Kristian once again looking down at Olaf.

"There isn't much to do in here, except for watching other people," says Olaf. "This is fine I guess, but it does get a little boring after a while."

Elsa approaches Kristian and Olaf, and she hears what Olaf last said. So Elsa says, "Did I hear someone say that they are bored?"

Both Kristian and Olaf look over to Elsa as she approaches. "Elsa," says Kristian with a smile.

"Hi Elsa!" chirps Olaf. "We're fine right now, but I'm trying to get Kristian to have some fun. I've suggested a few things but all he seems to want to do is stand here in the hall."

"Olaf, everything that you suggested sound fine, but I had made plans on doing something else," interjects Kristian. "We can always do those things a little later, if that would be all right?"

"You still need some sort of guide," says Olaf. "And I was going to make it my responsibility."

"It's OK Olaf. I can take the responsibility for Kristian, if that is alright with you?" interrupts Elsa. "Then you can go and have some fun on your own."

"That will be fine with me, if Kristian doesn't mind," chirps Olaf.

"It'll be fine Olaf," says Kristian. "I'm sure that Elsa and I will find something that we can do."

"Then I will leave Kristian with you," says Olaf to Elsa. "I'll go outside and have some fun with the village kids." "Bye!" says Olaf as he begins to run away. "Take care of Kristian!"

"He's in good hands!" replies Elsa as she waves to Olaf.

"Good hands, huh," smirks Kristian.

"What better hands to be in than a queen's?" replies Elsa cheekily.

"Your hands will definitely be full with me," amuses Kristian. "Not only do you have to handle someone with hands of fire, but you also have to deal with a novice at dancing."

"Those are two risks that I am very willing to take," replies a smiling Elsa. "So are you ready to give it a try?"

"I guess I am as ready as I will ever be," says Kristian. "As ready as anyone will be, for making a fool of themselves."

"It won't be that bad," replies Elsa as she extends her arm for Kristian to take. Kristian steps forward and offers his arm to Elsa and Elsa wraps her ungloved hand around Kristian's arm. "I'll keep this first lesson very simple," says Elsa as she partly directs Kristian to the middle of the dance floor.

As Kristian and Elsa near the center of the dance floor, Elsa raises her free hand and signals the musicians. The musicians then change the tempo of the song that they are playing and switch to a slower beat. Now Elsa stops walking and turns towards Kristian.

Elsa lifts up her left hand and says, "OK let's see what you actually know then."

Kristian takes in a breath and lets it out slowly. Then Kristian steps forward and takes a hold of Elsa's raised hand and places his other hand on her upper waist.

Not bad hand positions for a beginner, but you could always hold me closer," says Elsa. "Just move your hand further around my back."

"The closer I get the higher the chance of something bad happening," says Kristian as he becomes a little nervous.

"We're just going to sway a little," replies Elsa with a smile. "My feet can take a little stepping on."

"It was not only your feet that I was worried about," says a concerned Kristian. "I don't want to accidentally go off."

"Oh, of course!" exclaims Elsa. "I'm sorry, but I didn't consider the uneasy state you would be in. I know how difficult it can be sometimes to control one's magic. I sometimes have difficulty with my own."

"Sometimes I forget how special you are," says Kristian with a light smile.

Elsa smiles and says, "I wish more people would forget like that; and Kristian if you are worried about an unexpected fire, I'm sure that I can handle a little heat."

Kristian slowly slides his hand to the center of Elsa's back. This act brings him closer to Elsa. "As long as you are alright with this," says Kristian as his nerves settle down.

"I'm more than alright," says a delighted Elsa. "Now all you have to do is, listen to the music and sway with it."

For a little while, Kristian and Elsa slowly danced with each other. Initially, Kristian was very rigid in his movements; but as time progressed, he loosens up. Every once in a while Elsa offered a few suggestions on how to move, but mostly she offered encouragement. With one small step at a time, Kristian was beginning to move around the dance floor with Elsa.

Off at the side of the room, stood Anna and Kristoff. Each one of them was holding a cup of tea. After taking a sip from her cup, Anna places it down onto a table that stood next to her. She looks out onto the dance floor to watch the dancers. Of particular interest to Anna was Elsa and Kristian.

"Don't you think they look good out there?" says Anna to Kristoff.

"Who?" asks Kristoff as he brings his cup down onto the saucer that he is holding.

"Elsa and Kristian," says Anna with a little surprise and annoyance that Kristoff doesn't know what she is talking about.

Kristoff looks out onto the dance floor to watch Elsa and Kristian. "I don't know, they look OK I guess," says Kristoff. "Elsa is moving fine but Kristian is a little tight in his movements. He needs to try and free it up some more."

"I wasn't talking about their dancing form," replies Anna as she becomes a little more annoyed. "I was thinking in terms of them as a couple."

"You're asking me about that?" says a confused Kristoff. "He's a man. She's a woman. What more do you need to be a couple?"

"You guys can be so clueless sometimes," replies Anna. "There are other things to consider, like chemistry and a certain spark."

"You're kind of going over my head with this stuff you know," says Kristoff. "All I really know is that they like each other. Other than that, you will have to just wait and see what develops between them."

"I can see it developing right now," says a smiling Anna. "And so far it looks pretty good."

Kristoff takes another sip from his cup and then places it down on the table. Then Kristoff offers his hand to Anna and says, "So are you going to watch them for the rest of the day, or are you going to join me out on the dance floor with them?"

Anna looks at Kristoff and says, "Why not, but you really should work on your method of asking." Anna grabs a hold of Kristoff's hand and they begin to walk out onto the dance floor.

"It's working isn't," says Kristoff with a slight smirk.

"This time, yes," replies Anna with a slight giggle as she and Kristoff begin to dance.

As Anna and Kristoff dance, Elsa's thoughts are solely on Kristian. Elsa doesn't even notice anything else going on around her. By now Kristian has settled down and his thoughts start to focus more on Elsa than on his dancing.

"You're starting to move very well," says Elsa as she compliments Kristian.

"I have a very talented and special teacher," replies Kristian.

"You're quite remarkable in your own way as well," adds a smiling Elsa.

Kristian returns the smile with his own smile. For several moments, Elsa and Kristian dance with each other, looking into each other's eyes. Kristian has become comfortable enough with dancing now that he does a slow circling move across the floor with Elsa. Kristian and Elsa are so engrossed with each other that they don't notice what is happening just over their heads. Wisps of flame and snow begin to circle in the air over their heads. These wisps extend upward several feet into the air. They seem to almost dance with each other, and the first wisps that form don't fade away. So as Elsa and Kristian move around the floor, new wisps are created and the center of the room becomes full of swirling and dancing wisps of snow and flame.

Other people in the room stop what they are doing and watch the display that is going on above the heads of Kristian and Elsa. A few oohs and ahs can be heard from some of the people. Soon only Elsa and Kristian are left on the dance floor, and all of this happens without either Elsa or Kristian noticing.

The only thing that breaks Elsa and Kristian out of their oblivion was the sound of clapping. A few of the guest start to applaud the display in the air. Elsa hears the applause and looks to see what people are responding to. To Elsa's surprise, everyone in the hall is looking at Kristian and her. Elsa quickly releases from Kristian and turns to face one side of the hall. It was at this time that Kristian notices the same thing as Elsa. Kristian turns and looks in stunned silence at the staring people.

Off at the side of the room, where Elsa and Kristian are looking, stand Anna and Kristoff. Anna notices the surprised expression on Elsa's face and Anna quickly makes a small gesture with her hand. Anna points with her finger, just in front of her, to the air above Elsa. Elsa looks up and sees the wisps of flame and snow as they are in the middle of fading away. Kristian also looks up.

Out of embarrassment, Elsa turns towards Kristian and lowers her head slightly. Elsa also brings one hand up under her chin and says, "Oh, this is embarrassing."

Kristian continues to stare out at the people, who are watching and applauding. Kristian's eyes soon fall onto Anna and Kristoff. Both Anna and Kristoff are smiling. Anna is nearly to the point of laughter at the plight of her sister Elsa. Meanwhile, Kristoff is nodding his head in a positive fashion as he smiles. Looking at Anna and Kristoff eases Kristian's awkwardness.

Then to Elsa, Kristian says, "Ya, it is embarrassing." Then Kristian turns towards Elsa and reaches up and grabs a hold of Elsa's hand that is under her chin. Kristian then interlaces his fingers with Elsa's and then flames surround their joined hands. Then Kristian says, "But it is embarrassing in a good way, right?"

Elsa looks at their joined hands and the fire that surrounds them. Then Elsa looks up at Kristian's face and sees a smile on his face. Elsa begins to smile too, and then she adds her own powers to Kristian's. Soon fire and snow swirl around their joined hands. Then Elsa says, "Yes it is in a good way."

Then energy around their joined hands turns into a blue energy and shoots upwards. As the energy nears the ceiling, it bursts apart and flaming snowflakes fall from the ceiling. The snow is not cold and the fire does not burn. Some people were afraid when they first saw the fire come down from the ceiling. Others were more curious and fascinated by the unique display. A few people began to catch the snow in their hands. As long as the snow remained in their hands the fire would flame without burning the holder. Once the snow melted because of a person's body heat the fire was gone.

In a short while, snow covers the center of the dance floor and small flames will skirt across the surface of the snow. The first people to step out onto the snow are the young children. The kids check out the flames and find the flames safe to touch. In a moment, a few kids are having fun chasing the flames across the snow. Other brave souls journey out onto the snow and marvel at the unusual event. Among these brave souls are Anna and Kristoff.

Meanwhile, Elsa and Kristian watch as others experience the snow and fire. As the adventurous souls enjoy this experience, Elsa turns to Kristian and says with a bright smile, "Welcome to Arendelle."

Kristian looks over to Elsa with a smile of his own, and he replies, "I'm glad that I came to this village." Then Kristian looks out at the other people and says, "I believe that I will enjoy staying here awhile."

Elsa continues to smile and reaches down and grabs a hold of Kristian's hand. A smiling Kristian looks over to Elsa, and he then brings Elsa's bare hand up to his face. Once there, Kristian tilts his head down and kisses Elsa's hand. Elsa then giggles out of pure enjoyment and excitement. The rest of the day was filled with fun and enjoyment for everyone present. Especially for Elsa, since Kristian has decided to continue his stay in Arendelle.


	25. Chapter 25

(OK, I am putting this on because of Abbybear's review. I had started most of this earlier but decided to leave it out because I didn't see myself going anywhere with it. I always did have trouble ending stories. Info for Kevn. I have started writing Frozen 3 Fire Demon's Curse. However, the story idea is not as well developed in my mind as this one was.)

"You certainly have made this an interesting day," says Elsa.

I really haven't done that much. You have done most of it," replies Kristian. "What I can't get over is the reaction of the people here. Even what is happening right now is kind of weird to me."

"You're just lucky that the Queen of Arendelle is unique in her own way," replies a smiling Elsa. "They have come accustom to unique events."

Just then, Anna and Kristoff show up. "This is amazing Kristian!" exclaims Anna. "Elsa has always made our parties unique, but you have put a whole new wrinkle to it!"

"I'll have to admit, standing out here feels weird. Especially when you got fires skirting under foot," adds Kristoff. "You're definitely going to bring some new excitement to Arendelle."

"I'm worried that the kind of excitement that I will bring will be too much for people to handle," replies Kristian.

"Nonsense!" says Anna. "If done in the right way, the kind of excitement that you would bring can be just what Arendelle needs."

"Arendelle already has a Snow Queen. Who says that the village couldn't handle a Fire Prince?" says Kristoff.

"A Fire Prince," amuses Kristian. "I've gone from an obscure nobody to notoriety in a few days."

"You were never a nobody. You just haven't been noticed before, and I think the term prince fits you very well," replies Elsa.

"Kristian, you deserve the gratitude of everyone in Arendelle, especially for your efforts in saving my sister's life," says Anna. "For what you did, I personally will make your stay in Arendelle as pleasant as humanly possible."

"Really?" replies Kristian amusingly. "Even if I stay here over a month."

"What, really?" exclaims Anna. "You're going to be staying then?"

"That is what Kristian has pretty much have said to me," replies Elsa. "Though he hasn't given me a specific time line."

"Back home, there is still snow in the mountains. I could leave now but the trek through the snow would be long," adds Kristian. "I figured that I could stay here a month to let things thaw out. If it is no bother to everyone here."

"It would not be any bother at all," replies Elsa. "In fact, I look forward to your stay here in Arendelle."

"I will even try to keep my promise that I have just made to you," adds Anna. "Though a month is a bit long. So I am going to need some help to accomplish that promise."

"Just as long as Olaf isn't the help," replies Kristian with a smirk. "Olaf can be fun to be around for a little while; but if I have to be around him all the time, I think I might go crazy."

Everyone begins to laugh, and then Elsa says, "Oh, I think we can keep Olaf's enthusiasm under control.

"That's right, keeping Olaf contained won't be a problem. However, Elsa's enthusiasm might be more difficult to control," says Kristoff mischievously.

Elsa begins to blush because of Kristoff's comment. Meanwhile, Anna gives Kristoff a silly disapproving scowl and says, "Oh, Kristoff."

With a silly lint in his voice, Kristian replies, "I think that I can handle anything that Elsa might present."

"Oh really," says Elsa humorously. "I wonder if you really can, but I will enjoy finding out what you might be able to accomplish."

Once again everyone laughs as the musicians play. Around these four friends, the villagers explore the unusual flaming snow; and laughter can be heard throughout the palace. A new beginning has begun in Arendelle, and everyone wonders what this new era will bring.


End file.
